Democratic race: Jim Webb drops out of running - but may still stand as an independent

Former Virginia Senator claims the party hierarchy 'is not comfortable with many of the policies that I have laid forth'

Vietnam veteran Jim Webb announces that he is dropping out of the Democratic presidential race in Washington, DC, on Tuesday

Former Virginia Senator Jim Webb has dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, while offering hints that he might still run as an independent.

The 69-year-old former serviceman was once the Secretary of the Navy in Ronald Reagan’s Republican administration. Announcing his withdrawal at a press conference, he said: “I fully accept that my views on many issues are not compatible with the power structure and the nominating base of the Democratic Party”, adding that the party hierarchy “is not comfortable with many of the policies that I have laid forth, and frankly I am not that comfortable with many of theirs.”

Arguing that he was in step with the majority of Americans by calling himself not a Democrat or a Republican but a political independent, he added: “How I remain as a voice will depend on what kind of support I am shown in the coming days and weeks as I meet with people from all sides.”

Mr Webb, who served in Vietnam, struggled to secure more than one per cent in the polls and spent much of his speaking time at last week’s Democratic debate complaining at not being given enough speaking time. Since the debate, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has pulled even further ahead of the field, with a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll putting her at 49 per cent – 20 points ahead of her closest rival, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

Mr Webb may also have taken note of a recent poll by CNN, which found that a majority of Americans had never even heard of him.