Not many Democratic presidential candidates list a conservative Republican among his favorite 20th century White House occupants.
But that’s exactly what Jim Webb did Thursday, telling a crowd at the Iowa State Fair that Ronald Reagan is one of his two favorite presidents of the 20th century, along with Democratic hero Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Jim Webb's favorite presidents of the 20th century are Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. http://t.co/TyQy6Errtv— Chloe Palma Sommers (@ChloePalma) August 13, 2015
The former Virginia senator explained that he thought the the Reagan administration did a “terrific job” of “putting strong people into the administration,” adding that he would do the same if he were elected president.
Prior to his time in the Senate, Webb served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs under Reagan from 1984-87, before moving on to become Secretary of the Navy from 1987-88.
“I served in the Reagan administration, and I will tell you, the Reagan administration did a terrific job, whether you agreed politically with them or not, of putting strong people into the administration, giving them guidance and having them step forward and lead,” Webb explained. “And in a Webb administration, we will do that. We will bring the greatest minds in America to the table, give them direction as to where we want this country to go, and have them lead.”
One president Webb notably left off his list of praise was Bill Clinton, the husband of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is also seeking the Democratic nomination for president.
