Former Va. Senator Announces 2016 Presidential Plans

A former Virginia senator announced Thursday that he will be running for president in 2016.

The former Democratic Senator from Virginia Jim Webb announced Thursday via his official presidential campaign website that he will be seeking election to be Commander-in-Chief in 2016.

Webb wrote in his blog post that "after many months of thought, deliberation and discussion" he had made the decision to pursue the presidency.

"I understand the odds, particularly in today's political climate where fair debate is so often drowned out by huge sums of money. I know that more than one candidate in this process intends to raise at least a billion dollars – some estimates run as high as two billion dollars – in direct and indirect financial support. Highly paid political consultants are working to shape the 'messaging' of every major candidate," Webb wrote in his blog post.

"But our country needs a fresh approach to solving the problems that confront us and too often unnecessarily divide us. We need to shake the hold of these shadow elites on our political process," Webb added.

Webb now joins Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in running for the democratic ticket in 2016. The GOP side of the race also has several contenders, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, among others.

Recently, Sanders, also considered an underdog in the race, drew nearly 10,000 supporters during a rally in Madison, Wisconsin this week.