Jim Webb’s Nascent Presidential Campaign Runs Into Domain Name Problems

Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb talks with employees during a tour of the Rippey Wind Farm, Monday, June 15, 2015, in Grand Junction, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
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Another day, another presidential candidate who hasn’t done his domain name homework. Former U.S. Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), who triumphantly announced his White House run via Twitter Thursday, didn’t register JimWebb.com ahead of his candidacy.

Those heading to JimWebb.com to find out more about his platform saw advertisements for web design lessons, or “webb” design lessons, instead.
The domain appears to be operated by a D.C.-based web developer named Jim who offers tutorials on Internet programming.

Webb, the Democratic presidential candidate, has settled on Webb2016.com for his campaign website. He is not the first White House contender who did not secure the URL bearing his or her name. Ex-HP exec Carly Fiorina, a GOP 2016er, caught flack when CarlyFiorina.org led to a page that highlighted the HP employees laid off under her tenure. TedCruz.com, referring to the firebrand senator from Texas also running for the Republican nom, directs to a page that reads, “Support President Obama. Immigration Reform Now!”

Meanwhile, it does not goes unnoticed when variations of domain names only vaguely related to a potential campaign are aggressively bought up. Buzzfeed reported in April that almost every imaginable Chelsea Clinton-associated domain name was registered ahead of the announcement that her mother, Hillary Clinton, was running for president.

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Notable Replies

  1. Was WorldWideWebb taken?

  2. Really? Are you sure that he “didn’t do his domain name homework?” The Jim Webb that runs the website has had the same twitter name @jimwebb since at least 2010. It looks like the domain was taken long ago, not snatched up just prior to the announcement, and the campaign settled on something equally uninspired. The fact that he did not want to pay a bunch of money to acquire that domain may say something about his financial resources, but I don’t think that you can jump to the conclusion, without more, that he did not do his homework.

    And, in case anyone is wondering, I could not care less about Jim Webb entering the race or his campaign.

  3. Jeb 2016! is what bushie had to settle for since jebbushforpresident.com was taken over a year ago by a same-sex couple in Oregon. But since he checked the Hispanic box recently, shouldn’t it be Yeb?

  4. Avatar for jw1 jw1 says:

    I like it-- I really do!
    But the (D) branding of this needs to be:

    Bush!

    He cannot be allowed to run away
    from the disaster that is his surname.

    jw1

  5. Exactly my sentiments.

    As for Webb…already proving what a fucking novice he is at this whole running for President thing in the digital age. I would like to see his name represented like this at all times when it comes to print: Webb (R-Virginia).

    As a former of supporter of George Allen…need anyone say more? If all he accomplishes is to get the old white man vote that’s left in the Democratic party…good luck with that. The Republican party has already cornered the market on most of those to be gotten. Hope when he finds out he can’t make it in the race though, he throws those old white man votes Hillary’s way. She’ll need them.

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