Jim Webb takes step toward independent presidential campaign

"Former senator Jim Webb of Virginia, who dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary in October, has hired a fundraiser to help him launch a possible independent bid for the presidency.

Sam Jones, who led fundraising efforts for a super PAC encouraging Vice President Biden to run for president, will help Webb decide whether he can afford a campaign.

[People are criticizing my dad, Jim Webb, for killing a man. Here’s what they’re missing.]

“After weeks of study, including consultations with ballot experts and independent activists across the country, we have a handle on what it takes to give voters in every state a real choice,” Webb spokesman Craig Crawford said in a statement. Jones, he said, would help with the next step: “How to pay for it.”

Jones called Webb “a bold and honest leader . . . who stands miles apart from the bitter theatrics we see before us today.”

When Webb bowed out of the primary last year, he said he no longer felt comfortable running as a Democrat. His departure came after an underwhelming performance at the first Democratic debate, where he was challenged for being out of step with the Democratic base on affirmative action and gun control. Since then, he has been quietly gauging support for an independent bid.

A Vietnam War veteran who served as President Ronald Reagan’s Navy secretary, Webb hopes to capi­tal­ize on an appeal that does not fall neatly into party lines. He has defended the Confederate flag and unions; he criticizes executive pay and the Environmental Protection Agency."