Former Senator Joe Lieberman, a former Democratic senator who was Al Gore’s running mate and later became a prominent force for independent candidates has died at 82.
Lieberman, from Stamford, Conn., served in the U.S. Senate from 1989-2013, overlapping with Joe Biden when he was a Democratic senator.
He died from complications from a fall, Punchbowl reported Wednesday.
He was a co-founder of the group No Labels, which is seeking to get a ticket to challenge the major party candidates on the ballot in all 50 states.
Joe Lieberman (R) has died at 82. He was a longtime Democratic senator who became an independent and helped push for challenges to the major parties
He became the first Jewish major party nominee in 2000, when George W. Bush captured the White House.
He switched to become an independent in 2006, and ended up endorsing longtime friend John McCain in 2008, speaking for him at the Republican National Convention.
Lieberman pictured in 1994 with Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa. He also served with Joe Biden
‘Connecticut is shocked by Senator Lieberman’s sudden passing,’ said Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, who holds Liberman’s old seat, said in a statement.
‘In an era of political carbon copies, Joe Lieberman was a singularity. One of one. He fought and won for what he believed was right and for the state he adored. My thoughts are with Hadassah and the entire family.’
Lieberman helped fire up Democrats when Gore made history with his selection in 2000, often relying on humor on the campaign trail and debating Dick Cheney.
Hey partnered with McCain on key legislation in the Senate, but would later infuriate fellow Senate Democrats as he moved away from the party.
He began to drift away from Biden early, telling DailyMail.com in 2021 that Biden needed to become more of a ‘power broker.’
‘I must say that I haven’t seen enough of that yet,’ he told DailyMail.com in an interview in October that year.
