Lieberman has $4.3 million for re-election bid

HARTFORD, Conn. --U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, facing a strong Democratic primary challenge, said Friday he has nearly $4.3 million cash on hand for his re-election campaign.

Lieberman raised $1.3 million for the two-month period ending June 30, for a total of nearly $8.5 million.

His challenger, Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont, plans to release his campaign finance figures Saturday, the Federal Election Commission's deadline, said Lamont campaign spokeswoman Liz Dupont-Diehl.

Lamont, the wealthy founder of a cable television company, has already contributed more than $1.5 million of his own money to his primary race. Lieberman has not contributed any his own money.

While Lamont trails Lieberman in recent polls, he has gained some ground on the three-term senator. Lieberman has come under fire from some Connecticut Democrats for his support of the war in Iraq and a perceived closeness with Republicans and President Bush.

Lieberman announced Monday he would form a new party, Connecticut for Lieberman, and begin collecting 7,500 signatures to petition his way onto the November ballot as an independent candidate should he lose the Aug. 8 primary.

Most of Lieberman's contributions in the last quarter, a little more than $1 million, came from individuals. Lieberman received more than $260,000 in contributions from political action committees over the past three months.

His campaign spent more than $1.3 million in the last quarter. To date, the campaign has spent more than $5 million, a figure that includes several rounds of television ads.