Jim Webb at an event in Grand Junction, Iowa, on June 15.
Credit
Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press
The Coalition
Mr. Webb’s voters may look a lot like him: ideologically idiosyncratic white men moved more by economic fairness and a noninterventionist foreign policy than cultural liberalism.
The Map
His opposition to the Iraq war, among other foreign engagements, could offer Mr. Webb an attentive audience among some Democrats in dovish Iowa. And there may be a small band of populists and veterans in South Carolina who will find his background and message appealing.
The Message
Mr. Webb, a prolific writer, will have much to say on issues ranging from wage stagnation to the so-called American “pivot” to the Pacific to prison reform, all of which he was vocal about in his single Senate term. His case for Confederate valor, unease with proposals to address climate change, past comments about women in combat and general discomfort with identity politics could make him less appealing to the Democratic Party.
Why He Will Win
Mr. Webb’s candidacy offers him a platform to draw attention to his ideas and serve as a unique voice in the Democratic primary.
Why He Won't
There is not much of a constituency for Mr. Webb in a Democratic primary. Running as a Democrat, of course, could mean he can get into the party’s televised debates and candidate forums. But given his economic populism, support for a restrained foreign policy and unease with cultural liberalism, he may have been better suited in this era for a third-party candidacy.
