Independent Lieberman says he can be now be himself

WATERBURY, Conn. --After losing the support of his own party, Sen. Joe Lieberman has turned much of his attention to moderate Democrats, unaffiliated voters and Republicans as he begins his independent campaign for re-election to a fourth term.

Lieberman lost Tuesday's Democratic primary to anti-Iraq war challenger Ned Lamont, but filed papers the next day to get on the November ballot as an independent.

He kicked off his new campaign Thursday in Waterbury, a working-class, conservative Democratic city that gave him 60 percent of its Democratic vote in the primary.

Meeting with about three dozen supporters at a pizzeria, he said it was "un-American" to make national security a "partisan political football" in light of the terrorist plot uncovered Thursday in Britain.

Lieberman said his independent run is giving him the freedom to be more like himself in the election.

"I have been a Democrat. I will remain a Democrat," Lieberman said. "(But) in some ways this turn of events which I did not desire, but now gives me the opportunity to be what I always have been -- an independent Democrat."

Lieberman, 64, has been criticized by Lamont and other Democrats for his support of the Iraq war, and many Democrats believe he is too close to President Bush and other Republicans. Lamont, a 52-year-old Greenwich businessman and political novice, was embraced by liberal bloggers, who saw a chance at a larger role in the party.

But more than 40 percent of Connecticut voters are not registered with a party -- a larger block than those registered as Democrats or Republicans.

A Quinnipiac University poll released in July showed that 51 percent of likely voters would support Lieberman in a three-way race. That's compared with 27 percent for Lamont and 9 percent for Republican Alan Schlesinger, an attorney who was formerly a state lawmaker and mayor of Derby.

On Thursday, Lieberman picked up an endorsement from Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor, his first from a Senate Democrat since losing the primary. "The Democratic Party needs moderate voices," Pryor said. "I'm for Joe Lieberman whether he's a Democrat or an independent."

Lieberman is also getting support from some Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy, the GOP Minnesota Senate candidate; and Mike McGavick, the Republican Senate candidate in Washington. Bush's top adviser, Karl Rove, said he called Lieberman on primary night and wished him well, although he denied offering the senator help in the election's final hours.

"I called him, he's a personal friend, and I called him Tuesday afternoon, five o'clock thereabout, and wished him well on his election that night," Rove told reporters traveling with the president to Wisconsin. "It was a personal call."

Top state and national Democrats have pledged support for Lamont, including Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, Sens. John Kerry and Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and Sens. Chuck Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, said Thursday that he is also supporting Lamont and called on Lieberman to abandon his independent run.

Richardson, chairman of the Democratic Governors' Association, described Lieberman as "a good friend of mine, a true public servant who has served his constituents and the Democratic Party well."

The governor said Lieberman should "respect the will of the voters and step aside."

Lautenberg has also urged Lieberman to not run as an independent.

Christopher Kukk, a political science professor at Western Connecticut State University, said he's not surprised Lieberman is talking tough about homeland security. He said the senator's independent way of thinking plays well with independents, the largest single voting block in Connecticut.

Kukk said candidates typically have to play to the "die-hards" of their political parties when they compete in primaries.

"You have to play to their ideals and their notions of what a senator should and should not be, and that is very different from a general election when you have Republicans and independents," Kukk said. "It's a very different crowd and a very different group. For Lieberman, I think his positions sit better with the general election."

Waterbury Mayor Michael Jarjura, who attended Thursday's campaign stop, said he's sticking by his longtime friend. Jarjura, who considers himself to be a moderate to conservative Democrat, said he stands with people he believes in.

"I'm disappointed the Democratic Party has taken ... a shift away from mainstream thought of the people of Connecticut to the more liberal left," he said. "I think what they're saying (to conservative Democrats) is, 'Guess what guys? You don't have a place our party anymore.'"

Lieberman said he is inspired by Jarjura's support. The mayor was re-elected as a write-in candidate last year after losing his Democratic primary.

Connecticut voters have embraced other independent candidates. Former Gov. Lowell Weicker, a former Republican who lost his Senate seat to Lieberman in 1988, ran for governor as an independent in 1990 and won.

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Editors: Political Writer Susan Haigh has been covered the Connecticut statehouse and political scene since 1994.