Democrats’ 2000 VP pick was ‘one of one’

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice-presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in the disputed 2000 election and who almost became Republican John McCain’s running mate eight years later, has died, according to a statement issued by his family.

Lieberman died in New York City on Wednesday due to complications from a fall, the statement said. He was 82.

The Democrat-turned-independent was never shy about veering from the party line. Lieberman’s independent streak and especially his needling of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential contest rankled many Democrats, the party he aligned with in the Senate. Yet his support for gay rights, civil rights, abortion rights and environmental causes at times won him the praise of many liberals over the years.

“In an era of political carbon copies, Joe Lieberman was a singularity. One of one,” said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat. “He fought and won for what he believed was right and for the state he adored.”

Over the past decade, Lieberman helped lead No Labels, a centrist third-party movement.

Gore said in a statement Wednesday night that he was profoundly saddened by the death of his onetime running mate. He called Lieberman “a truly gifted leader, whose affable personality and strong will made him a force to be reckoned with” and said his dedication to equality and fairness started at a young age, noting Lieberman travelled to the South to join the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

In 2008, Lieberman was an independent senator who was nearly chosen to be McCain’s running mate. He and McCain were close pals who shared hawkish views.