Webb exits the Democratic presidential primary

Former Virginia senator Jim Webb announced Tuesday afternoon that he would no longer pursue the Democratic presidential nomination, saying that he will instead gauge support in the coming weeks for a possible White House bid as an independent candidate. "More people in this country call themselves political independents than Republicans or Democrats. I happen to agree with them," Webb told reporters at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. "I am withdrawing from any consideration of being the Democratic Party's nominee for the presidency," he said. “This does not reduce in any way my concerns for the challenges facing the country … or my intentions to remain fully engaged in the debates that are facing us."