Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) (EPA/ZUMApress.com)
All eyes were on Webb in 2006 when the populist-preaching Democrat won the Virginia Senate race. His win was a real coup for the Democratic party, which was then just beginning to form a plan to make political inroads in the state. Webb, a former secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration, is currently serving in the Senate and will be up for re-election in 2012.
Yeas: Webb takes a populist tack when it comes to the economy. “I was never comfortable with the Republican Party on issues of economic fairness and social justice,” Webb told US News & World Report in 2007. Webb often spoke on the campaign trail of his mother’s poor upbringing in Arkansas during the Depression and his Scot-Irish heritage, a subject on which he authored several books. Both of these aspects of his background serve to connect him to the “everyman.” He cites his family history as one of the reasons why he continues his fight against globalization and corporate excess from his seat in Congress.
Nays: Well, after you get past the populist family history, Webb holds a not-so-populist background, touting a J.D. from Georgetown University and a lucrative book-writing career. Webb continues to align with the GOP on some issues, including 2nd amendment rights, which helps him in his home state — but may not be so attractive to nationwide Democrats. Webb also drew some blowback during the 2006 campaign for an essay he wrote in the ’70’s about women in the military.
Next: 3. Sherrod Brown