When former one-term Sen. Jim Webb announced Wednesday that he might seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2016 — the first person of either major party to make that step — the news media had one thing on their minds: Hillary Clinton.
If Webb thought he’d make the announcement to any fanfare or at least some excited whispers from the media, he would have been wrong.
A headline in the Washington Post read, “Jim Webb’s potential 2016 candidacy will not keep Hillary up at night.”
“With Hillary Rodham Clinton favored in early presidential polls for the Democratic nomination, Webb is a long shot in a race,” wrote USA Today.
“[H]e would be considered a long shot against Clinton, who will be the leading Democratic candidate for president if she runs again,” echoed the Associated Press.
The New York Times also said Webb’s candidacy would be a “long shot.” So did the Wall Street Journal. So did Reuters, further noting that “Hillary Clinton, who has said she will decide whether or not to run in early 2015, is widely regarded as the frontrunner.”
How BuzzFeed described it: “Fundraising, particularly with Clinton in the race, would be an enormous hurdle for a lesser-known contender like Webb.”
Clinton recently said she would announce her 2016 intentions after the New Year, though no one really seems to be waiting for it.
