Former Virginia senator and veteran Jim Webb made an announcement on Tuesday that he will be ending his Democratic campaign for president. This does not mean that he is removing himself from the race entirely, as he may still consider running as an independent candidate.
According to NPR, Webb gave a statement at a National Press Club conference with his reasoning behind this decision.
“I fully accept that my views on many issues are not compatible with the power structure and base of the Democratic Party,” he said. “For this reason I am withdrawing from any consideration of being the Democratic Party’s nominee for the presidency.”
He later noted that many Americans tend to identify as Independent, rather than strictly Republican or Democratic. He believes that presidential candidates need to be more accommodating and in tune to the majority of Americans who may have mixed political opinions. Webb has also been very open about the fact that he does not fully identify as a Democrat, and said during a Q&A that he feels “much freer now” and has officially “cleared the air” to begin talking to more people while campaigning, according to the Washington Post. He did not feel as comfortable talking to some people as a Democratic candidate, but now that he has withdrawn from associating himself strictly with the party, he can be true to his own beliefs.
Even before he decided to withdraw from the Democratic party, Webb’s campaign was definitely different compared to his opponents. He spent little time campaigning across the U.S., spending four days in New Hampshire and 20 days in Iowa, CNN reports.
In terms of next steps, Webb has yet to declare if he will be running as an Independent candidate, but for now has decided to reflect on his options. His decision now leaves us with four major Democratic candidates: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley and Lincoln Chafee.