Webb Exits; Others Hold 2016 Dream

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Their fundraising power is waning -- if they ever had it. Their support in preference polls couldn't drop much lower. Some don't get invited to the debates in prime-time. Those that do get asked afterward, on live television, when they plan to quit.

The first of these longshot candidates for president dropped out of the 2016 race on Tuesday, when former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb -- who entered the race with an email -- told reporters he was withdrawing.

Surrounded by campaign signs, Webb insisted he's not necessarily out. He said he may get come back to the White House campaign as an independent. Doing so would turn what was once a longshot campaign for the Democratic nomination into a presidential quest that would require a miracle.

In no particular order, here's a look at the other candidates who you may have forgotten are running for president --- those who have demonstrated a sustained inability to raise cash or rise beyond the low single digits in national polls.

They're still in it to win it, hoping to win the favor of a major donor or catch fire in an upcoming "undercard" debate.

At a time when the top candidates in each party have been able to raise at least eight figures each fundraising quarter, the following candidates haven't cracked $1 million.

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REPUBLICAN BOBBY JINDAL

The Louisiana governor has raised about $580,000 in each of the last three-month fundraising periods, and barely registers in national polls out this week among the 15 remaining major GOP presidential candidates.

Jindal, 44, released a book Tuesday, "American Will," which he said is meant as a "call to arms" for conservatives and an effort to revive his struggling campaign. The book retells the story of his conversion from Hinduism to Catholicism as a teenager and describes the religious beliefs he's made a cornerstone of his campaign.

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DEMOCRAT LINCOLN CHAFEE

The former Rhode Island governor and U.S. senator has the dubious distinction of having raised the least of any candidate of either party in the most recent quarter of 2015, hauling in a total of $15,000.

Like Jindal, Chafee, 62, is polling at close to 0 percent. He's been a Republican, an independent and a Democrat over a political career of nearly two decades. Asked last week by CNN's Wolf Blitzer, "At what point will you drop out?" Chaffee replied that the "establishment" opposes his anti-war message. "I'm in it," he said, as long as "I can continue to raise these issues."

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REPUBLICAN GEORGE PATAKI

The former New York governor who left public office in 2006 saw his contributions decline from $255,000 in the second quarter of the year to $154,000 over the most recent three months.

Pataki, 70, also is stuck with no measurable support in this week's preference polls. He told the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire last week that he prefers to focus on things he can control, and remains optimistic because of his bipartisan record as governor.

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REPUBLICAN RICK SANTORUM

The former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, who lost his bid for re-election in 2006, saw the $608,000 he had collected by June 30 drop to $390,000 over the following three months.

Santorum, 57, registers at 2 percent in one of this week's new polls and at 0 percent in the others. This week, he tweeted that he spoke before the New York Times editorial board and "I survived!" A favorite among conservatives, Santorum won nominating contests in 11 states in the 2012.

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REPUBLICAN JIM GILMORE

The former Virginia governor announced his candidacy in July and had raised $154,000 by Sept. 30. Gilmore, 66, was excluded from the most recent Republican debates and was not included in the national polls out this week.

(KA)