Former Virginia Senator Jim Webb, a Democrat, on Sunday said he believes the national debate on whether to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry has been good for the country.

When Webb ran for the Senate in 2006, he said that he supported civil unions, not marriage, for gay couples, but he also did not support a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a heterosexual union in the state of Virginia.

“I took tough stands in '06,” Webb said on NBC's Meet the Press. “There was a gay marriage amendment on the ballot in Virginia. … I opposed that.”

“I'm really comfortable with where the evolution has …”

“Legal in some places but not in others?” host Chuck Todd asked.

“I think this has been a good thing for the country,” he responded.

Webb, who did not seek a second term in 2012, attracted headlines two weeks ago when he said that he is “seriously contemplating” a run for the White House.