![Webbx390](https://www.advocate.com/media-library/webbx390.jpg?id=32717869&width=1200&height=876)
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
U.S. senator Jim Webb of Virginia, who initially opposed repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" but ended up voting for it, announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection in 2012.
Webb, a Democrat, issued a statement saying he will "return to the private sector, where I have spent most of my professional life," The New York Times reports. He was first elected to the Senate in 2006.
A former Republican who was secretary of the Navy under President Reagan, Webb was considered one of the Senate's more conservative Democrats. Last May he voted against repealing DADT because, he said at the time, he wanted the Department of Defense to complete its review of the policy first. In December he joined a majority of senators in voting to end the policy, saying Defense officials had assured him repeal could be implemented in a manner that would not disrupt unit cohesion.
His resignation does not necessarily bode ill for the Democrats in the 2012 race, writes Times blogger Nate Silver. He says Webb would have been "at best, a modest favorite" over a Republican nominee next year. Possible Democratic candidates Tim Kaine, a former Virginia governor, and Tom Perriello, a former congressman, poll nearly as well against potential Republican opponents as Webb did, Silver reports. Likely Republican contenders, he says, include George Allen, the senator Webb beat in 2006; Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli, known for his antigay stances; and the state's lieutenant governor, Bill Bolling.
"This is more of a jab to Democrats than a stomach-punch," Silver writes.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
After 20 years, and after tonight, Obama will no longer be the Democrats' top star
August 20 2024 12:28 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
How 'Skincare' tackles women's aging, consent, and othering a queer-coded Latino
September 04 2024 8:00 PM
Here are the 25 transgender Americans lost to violence so far this year
September 04 2024 3:35 PM
Ben Platt marries Noah Galvin in New York celebration
September 04 2024 3:15 PM
53 years ago, Jack Baker and Michael McConnell became the first same-sex couple to wed
September 04 2024 2:27 PM
Even Republicans are against Tennessee’s trans health ban
September 04 2024 1:05 PM
And they're off! 8 things to watch for as the 2024 presidential election kicks into high gear
September 04 2024 10:00 AM
Tim Walz to honor LGBTQ+ community at Human Rights Campaign National Dinner (exclusive)
September 04 2024 9:00 AM
A Virginia college bans transgender students — based on language from the year 1900
September 04 2024 5:39 AM
Harris campaign, others call out Trump for holding events in towns with racist histories
September 04 2024 4:57 AM
Candace Owens claims TikTok makes men gay and causes women to hate them
September 03 2024 6:27 PM
16 LGBTQ+ movies & TV shows to watch in September 2024
September 03 2024 4:21 PM