Jim Webb to explore independent White House run

Democratic presidential candidate Jim Webb plans to explore a run as an independent, his campaign announced Monday.

Mr. Webb, a former U.S. senator from Virginia and secretary of the Navy under President Reagan, began eyeing a White House bid as an independent after a querulous performs in the first Democratic presidential debate last week in Las Vegas.

He griped during the debate about his lack of speaking time and later complained that the event was “rigged” in favor of front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton.

He will hold a press conference Tuesday in Washington to discuss his candidacy and his views of political parties in the current election cycle, according to the Webb campaign.

A post-debate poll by CNN/ORC released Monday showed Mr. Webb with 1 percent, slightly better than the other long-shot contenders for the nomination, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee and Harvard professor Larry Lessig, each of whom garnered less than 1 percent each.

Mrs. Clinton led the field with 45 percent, followed by Vermont Sen. Bernard Sanders with 29 percent and Vice President Joseph R. Biden, who has not announced whether he will join the race, with 18 percent.