Democrat
Webb weighing possible independent bid for White House
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[October 21, 2015]
By Alana Wise
(Reuters) - Democratic presidential
candidate Jim Webb is considering an independent bid for the White
House, and will hold a news conference about his candidacy on Tuesday,
his campaign said on Monday.
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Webb, a former U.S. senator from Virginia, has lagged behind
front-runner Hillary Clinton and her chief rival, U.S. Senator
Bernie Sanders of Vermont, in opinion polls, along with former
Maryland Governor Marin O'Malley and former Rhode Island Governor
Lincoln Chaffee.
Webb's campaign announced the news conference at the National Press
Club in Washington with a short statement headlined "Jim Webb To
Consider Independent Run."
In addition to his candidacy, Webb will discuss "the campaign and
his views of the political parties in the current (2016) election
cycle," the statement said.
His campaign did not respond to email or phone requests for further
details.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Oct/21/images/ads/current/LPL_small%201.gif) The Democratic National Committee, which governs the party, declined
to comment ahead of Webb's announcement.
Webb had a shaky showing in the first Democratic candidates' debate
last week. Real Clear Politics, a website that aggregates polling
data showed him with just over 1 percent average support in polls
from late September to Oct. 18.
If Webb decides to run as neither a Democrat nor a Republican, he
would not be the first.
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In 2000, for example, consumer advocate Ralph Nader ran as the Green
Party's candidate. Many believe his unsuccessful bid enabled former
Republican George W. Bush to win the White House in a close race
against Democrat Al Gore for the White House.
In 2004 and 2008, Nader again launched runs outside the two-party
system, calling Washington “occupied corporate territory,” and
losing in both cases.
(Reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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