Former Sen. Jim Webb announced Tuesday that he is dropping out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination after his bid failed to gain traction.
Webb shared his intentions to end his campaign at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. His plans, first reported by Fox News, come as Webb's standing in Democratic polls hovered near zero and his fundraising efforts produced paltry results compared with his rivals.
The announcement came after the campaign said Monday that Webb was considering a bid as an independent, and at the news conference he did not rule that out. But independent campaigns are notoriously difficult because of financial and ballot access obstacles.
A veteran and former Republican, Webb kicked off his campaign in July with little fanfare. In recent weeks, speculation about his intentions arose because he was rarely spotted on the campaign trail.
Webb's frustrations with the process were evident last week at the Democratic debate, when he only spoke for 15 minutes out of two hours and frequently complained about the lack of attention. After the debate, he suggested it was "rigged."
At his news conference, Webb lamented the state of paralysis in U.S. politics and promised to keep fighting for policies he believes in. He said that his views were no longer in line with the mainstream Democratic Party and that he would be open to an independent run if there was sufficient support.
"How I remain as a voice will depend on what kind of support I'm shown in the coming weeks as I meet with people from all sides of America's political landscapes," Webb said, acknowledging that independent runs for presidents are challenging but suggesting that the country might be ready for one. "I have no doubt that if I ran as an independent we would have significant financial help."
In explaining his failed bid as a Democrat, Webb said that the party's power structure made it challenging for him to raise money, hire staff and actively campaign. Still, Webb expressed confidence that he would make a good president and that he could beat opponents such as Hillary Rodham Clinton or Donald Trump, the leading Democratic and Republican candidates, if he were to mount another bid.
"If we ran an independent race, I honestly could see us beating both of them," Webb said with his wife standing by his side.