Illustration: Mark Marturello/The Des Moines Register

PARTY: Democrat

BORN: February 9, 1946 in St. Joseph, Missouri

Jim Webb

What he’s got: Unusual and potentially potent resume as a decorated (including two Purple Hearts) Vietnam War veteran, Reagan administration assistant secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy, union member, and one-term Democratic senator from the battleground state of Virginia; image as an iconoclastic outsider/straight talker; Bob Kerrey-esque existential fearlessness about taking on the Clinton machine.

What he lacks: National name recognition; an avid following; a donor network outside the Old Dominion; early-state support; presidential campaign experience; demonstrated capacity to fight back against media and opposition scrutiny.

Read Mark Halperin and John Heilemann's Scouting Report

Webb News

Clinton's Rivals Protest as Democrats Set Dates for Six Presidential Debates

Why Unions Aren't Uniting Behind Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders

Jim Webb's Mysteriously Timed Presidential Campaign Launch

Jim Webb Announces Presidential Campaign

Jim Webb Pushes Back on Behalf of Confederate Flag Supporters

Jim Webb Refuses to Critique Hillary Clinton During Stop at Des Moines Register

Webb patrolling Vietnam's Arizona Valley in May 1969. Photograph courtesy of: Jim Webb's Personal Archives

Webb in Washington, D.C. at age 35, on April 3, 1981. Photograph by: AP Photo/John Duricka

Webb stands with his wife, Hong Le, and stepdaughter, Emily, at an election night celebration after his 2006 Virginia senatorial campaign, in Vienna, Virginia, on October 7, 2006. The Washington Post via Getty Images

Webb speaks to a 10th grade AP Government class at JEB Stuart High School, in Falls Church, Virginia, on September 13, 2006. Photograph by: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Then-presidential hopefuls Webb, former Virginia governor Tim Kane, and President Barack Obama take the stage during a rally in Bristow, Virginia, on June 5, 2008. Photograph by: Charles Ommanney/Getty Images

Webb stands with his wife Hong Le, his newborn daughter, and his stepdaughter Emily, during a reenactment of his senate swearing-in ceremony, on January 4, 2007. Photograph by: Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Webb speaks to guests at the Iowa Democratic Party's Hall of Fame Dinner, in Cedar Rapids Iowa, on July 17, 2015. Photograph by: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Top Priorities

The economy: Reconfigure and simplify taxes.
Foreign Policy: Reinforce alliances with NATO and Middle Eastern countriesand challenge China in the South Sea.
Infrastructure: Improve America’s roads, airports, and other infrastructure while creating American jobs in the process.
Criminal justice: Reform the system to focus on rehabilitation.

Webb’s Resumé

1964-1968

Attended the Naval Academy.
1969-1972

Served in the Vietnam War.
1972-1975

Attended law school at Georgetown University.
1977-1981

Served as counsel to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.
1984-1987

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.
1992

Worked as a Fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics.
2007-Present

U.S. Senator from Virginia.

Highs

2008: Wrote the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. This legislation expanded coverage of veterans’ education expenses and allowed veterans to transfer benefits to spouses and children.
2004: His sixth book, Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America, became a New York Times best seller.
2000: The movie he wrote, Rules of Engagement, is released and spends time at the top of the box office.
1983: Received an Emmy Award for his coverage of Marines in Beirut.

Lows

1988: Ronald Regan said, “I don’t think Navy was sorry to see him go.” When Webb left his position as Secretary of the Navy.
1979: The publication of his article “Women Can’t Fight” by The Washingtonian, in which he said, “No benefit to anyone can come from women serving in combat.”

He Once Said...

“WASP elites have fallen by the wayside and a plethora of government-enforced diversity policies have marginalized many white workers.”

- In a 2010 Wall Street Journal editorial

“People do buy into the American dream, which is: I want to be a success if my talent will allow me to be a success ... We’ve moved so far away from that.”

“I think [Democrats] can do a better job with white working people. I think this last election clearly showed that.”

“If people look at what we have done throughout my professional career, we have been able to get things done in and out of government.”

Did you know...

Webb served in the Vietnam War, during which he earned the Navy Cross, the Silver Star Medal, two Bronze Star Medals, and two Purple Hearts.

Family

Wife

Hong Le Webb

Escaped the fall of Saigon.

Works as a securities and corporate lawyer.
Children

Amy Webb Hogan, Daughter

Sarah Webb, Daughter

Jimmy Webb, Son

Julia Webb, Daughter

Georgia LeAhn Webb, Daughter

Emily Nyugen, Stepdaughter
Parents

Verra Lorraine Hodges, Mother

James Webb, Father

When he’s not running for office, Webb is...

Speaking Vietnamese.
Writing an 11th book?