Here, you can read his announcement here.
Jim Webb, the former Virginia senator and Reagan-era secretary of the Navy, announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday, bringing his antiwar credentials to the field in what many consider a long-shot campaign for the presidency.
Mr. Webb’s announcement caught some political observers by surprise — the politician was the first to form a presidential exploratory committee among both Democrats and Republicans, but he has been barely visible ever since.
“I understand the odds, particularly in today’s political climate where fair debate is so often drowned out by huge sums of money,” Mr. Webb wrote in an announcement on his website that was posted Thursday.
“I know 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,” he wrote. “Highly paid political consultants are working to shape the ‘messaging’ of every major candidate.”
Mr. Webb has been a persistent critic of the Iraq war, adding another voice that could put Hillary Rodham Clinton on the defensive in debates for her 2002 vote in the Senate authorizing the use of force in Iraq. He warned in 2002 before the war began, “those who are pushing for a unilateral war in Iraq know full well that there is no exit strategy if we invade.”
Mr. Webb made his announcement just after candidates in the field were required to report their second-quarter fund-raising totals, so he will not have to report his own fund-raising for three more months. But he also announced his news the day before a holiday weekend, assuring that it receives very little attention.
While he is likely to be a part of the Democratic presidential debates that will feature Mrs. Clinton, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Gov. Martin O’Malley of Maryland, in many ways his résumé is best suited to a third-party run because of his independent streak.
