Webb has served as a Marine Corps officer, an assistant and full Congressional council, the first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, the Secretary of the Navy under President Ronald Reagan, as well as a member of the United States Senate from Virginia. In 2006, he challenged and defeated the incumbent Republican George Allen. He served one full term before retiring in 2013 and he was replaced by fellow Democrat and former Virginia Governor, Tim Kaine. He has also written ten books, and won an Emmy for his work as a journalist. Webb's moderate policy stances, including issues such as gun control, foreign policy, and illegal immigration, led to speculation that he was a frontrunner for the vice presidential nomination in 2008, although he ultimately took himself out of the running.
Exploratory committee
On November 19, 2014, in a 14-minute video, Webb announced the formation of an exploratory committee in preparation for a possible bid for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. He reaffirmed his moderate stances as a strength to a potential candidacy, including some criticisms of the Affordable Care Act despite having voted for it, and emphasized his belief that the Democratic Party had been neglecting the "white, working-class" vote in favor of pandering to minorities.
Campaign
On July 2, 2015, in a 2,000-word essay on his campaign website, Webb formally announced his candidacy. During his campaign, Webb spent significantly less time than other candidates visiting early primary states. Webb spent only four days campaigning in New Hampshire and twenty days campaigning in Iowa.
The Cato Institute's Center for Trade Policy Studies identifies Webb, during his U.S. Senate tenure, as having a modestly protectionist and mostly pro-subsidies voting record.
In the first Democratic presidential debate on October 13, Webb reaffirmed many of his moderate policy stances: Particular examples included his skepticism of gun control, as well as his foreign policy credentials in regards to the Middle East. Also, on the topic of the Black Lives Matter movement, when the candidates were asked if all lives matter or black lives matter, Webb was the only one who said "all lives matter." As a result, Webb was the third most-searched of the five candidates on Google during the night, behind the frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. The candidates were asked "which enemy they were the proudest of making." He said "I would have to say the enemy soldier that threw the grenade that wounded me, but he's not around right now to talk to." Criticism included MSNBC identifying it as a "head-scratching moment" and noting "Webb's creepy smirk." Webb also gained notoriety for complaining that he did not have enough time.
Withdrawal
On October 20, 2015, Webb formally announced that he was withdrawing from the race for the Democratic nomination. He then confirmed that he was considering the possibility of mounting a bid as an independent candidate. On February 11, 2016, Webb ruled out the prospect of an independent presidential bid, remarking that such a run would be "enormously costly and time sensitive" and that he couldn't "see the fundraising trajectory where we could make a realistic run."
Endorsements
Note: Webb withdrew his candidacy for the Democratic nomination on October 20, 2015 ;Individuals
