Longtime senator was Democrats’ VP nominee in 2000
HARTFORD, Conn. — 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 last decade, Lieberman helped lead No Labels, a centrist third-party movement that has said it will offer as-yetunnamed candidates for president and vice president this year.
The group on Wednesday called Lieberman's unexpected death a “profound loss,” describing him as “a singular figure in American political life who always put his country before party.”
Lieberman came tantalizingly close to winning the vice presidency in the contentious 2000 presidential contest that was decided by a 537-vote margin victory for George W. Bush in Florida after a drawn-out recount, legal challenges and a Supreme Court decision. He was the first Jewish candidate on a major party's presidential ticket and would have been the first Jewish vice president.
Gore said in a statement Wednesday night that he was profoundly saddened by the death of his one-time running mate. He called Lieberman “a truly gifted leader, whose affable personality and strong will made him a force to be reckoned with."
Lieberman sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 but dropped out after a weak showing in the early primaries. Four years later, he was an independent who was nearly chosen to be McCain's running mate. He and McCain were close pals who shared hawkish views on military and national security matters.
McCain was leaning strongly toward choosing Lieberman for the ticket as the 2008 GOP convention neared, but he chose Sarah Palin at the last minute after “ferocious” blowback from conservatives over Lieberman's liberal record, according to Steve Schmidt, who managed McCain's campaign.
While he had a tortured relationship with Democrats, Lieberman defended his partisan switches as a matter of conscience, saying he always had the best interests of Connecticut voters at heart. Critics accused him of pursuing narrow self-interest and political expediency.
In announcing his retirement from the Senate in 2013, Lieberman acknowledged that he did “not always fit comfortably into conventional political boxes.” During his final Senate speech, Lieberman urged Congress to lbreak Washington gridlock.
“It requires reaching across the aisle and finding partners from the opposite party,” said Lieberman. “That is what is desperately needed in Washington now.”
Lieberman's strong support of the Iraq War had hurt his statewide popularity. Democrats rejected Lieberman and handed the 2006 primary to a political newcomer and an antiwar candidate, Ned Lamont, who is now serving a second term as Connecticut governor. Citing his Senate experience, congressional clout and support for the state's defense industry, Lieberman went on to win reelection to a fourth term as an independent.
Lieberman grew up in Stamford, Conn., where his father ran a liquor store. Lieberman graduated from Yale University and Yale Law School in New Haven.
After leaving the Senate in 2013, Lieberman joined a New York City law firm. His funeral will be held Friday at Congregation Agudath Sholom in his hometown of Stamford. An additional memorial service will be announced at a later date.
Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah, have four children.