Jim Webb joins 2016 presidential race

Cooper Allen | USA TODAY

Jim Webb, the former one-term senator from Virginia and Navy secretary, will launch a long-shot bid for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.

Webb announced the decision on his campaign website Thursday.

"After many months of thought, deliberation and discussion, I have decided to seek the office of the Presidency of the United States," he wrote.

In his statement, Webb acknowledged the odds he faced but said he believed "our country needs a fresh approach to solving the problems that confront us and too often unnecessarily divide us."

Webb formed an exploratory committee last November and since then has held events in early voting states, such as Iowa, to test the waters for what will unquestionably be an uphill White House bid.

In a video announcing the formation of the exploratory committee, Webb highlighted issues that the next president should tackle, including increasing educational opportunities, rebuilding national infrastructure and enhancing American national security while avoiding "ill-considered" foreign entanglements.

"With enough financial support to conduct a first-class campaign, I have no doubt that we can put these issues squarely before the American people and gain their support," Webb said.

But that will be easier said than done.

Webb, 69, barely registers in opinion polls and will be challenged, to say the least, to rival Hillary Clinton's considerable fundraising advantage.

Clinton holds a commanding lead in the Democratic race, though Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent, has gained ground in recent weeks, particularly in New Hampshire.

However, Sanders' rise has been fueled by his appeal to the left. Whether Webb can gain traction with a message tailored to more moderate voters seems less certain.

Webb recently sparked controversy with a Facebook post on the Confederate flag in which he urged a debate that "recognizes the need for change but also respects the complicated history of the Civil War." The message came in the wake of a bipartisan call to remove the Confederate symbol from the South Carolina state capitol grounds and elsewhere.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968, Webb joined the Marines and was awarded the Navy Cross and the Silver Star, among other decorations, during his service in Vietnam. He later served as a congressional aide and was tapped as Navy secretary in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan. He would resign the following year in protest of Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci's decision to decommission 16 Navy ships.

Webb won an upset victory against Republican Sen. George Allen in 2006 to capture a Virginia Senate seat. Allen's campaign was damaged when a video came out that showed him referring to a Democratic Party volunteer of Indian descent as "macaca." During the race, Webb emphasized his opposition to the Iraq War and wore his son's combat boot during his campaign.

Not long after the election, Webb had a notably testy exchange with President George W. Bush at the White House after Bush asked Webb about his son. "That's between me and my boy, Mr. President," Webb said after also telling Bush he wanted the U.S. to bring troops home from Iraq.

Follow @coopallen on Twitter