Jim Webb Announces Presidential Campaign

Jim Webb, a decorated Vietnam veteran and former Democratic U.S. senator from Virginia, said Thursday he is running for president, joining the ranks of long-shot challengers to front-runner Hillary Clinton.

“After many months of thought, deliberation and discussion, I have decided to seek the office of the Presidency of the United States,” Webb said in a lengthy statement on his website. He touted his military experience and said he knew that “more than one candidate in this process intends to raise at least a billion dollars—some estimates run as high as two billion dollars—in direct and indirect financial support,” presumably referring to well-funded rivals, including Clinton. “But our country needs a fresh approach to solving the problems that confront us and too often unnecessarily divide us.”