Former Democratic U.S. Senator from Virginia and Secretary of the Navy Jim Webb announced on Thursday that he has decided against sparking an independent campaign for president of the United States.

“Even though this is a conceivable thing, we are not able to put together the kind of funding that would allow us to get on the ballots during this period of time and to actually run a campaign that could seriously look at the presidency,” said Webb at Thursday’s announcement at the World Affairs Council in Dallas, Texas, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Webb added, seemingly indicating that he is not yet planning to endorse another candidate, “We have not had a clear statement of national security policy since the end of the Cold War, and I see no one running for president today who has a firm understanding of the elements necessary to build a national strategy.”

In July, Webb announced that he would seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for president. However, he failed to gain traction within the party and dropped out of its primary in October.

As Webb withdrew from the primary, he complained that party officials and debate moderators were rigging the process for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and that his “views on many issues are not compatible with the power structure and nominating base of the Democratic Party.” Those complaints are what Webb said initially led him to consider an independent run.

Politico notes that Webb’s campaign only raised $68,000 in the last quarter of 2015.

Editor's note: This article, written by Barry Donegan, originally published on Truth in Media and has been modified slightly for publication on IVN. 

Photo Source: Reuters