Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary race Tuesday afternoon.<br />Webb, a Vietnam veteran and former Navy secretary, withdrew any consideration of being the party's nominee during a news conference at 1 p.m. ET in Washington, D.C., but said he has not ruled out an independent run.<br />"It was very difficult to fundraise inside the Democratic Party structure right now," he said to reporters.<br />"I have no doubt that if I ran as an independent we would have significant financial help from people who want me to run as something other than a Democrat."<br />During the Tuesday press conference, he said that the very nature of American democracy is under siege by how the current power structure finances both political parties.
