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, 82, died in New York City as his wife, Hadassah, and other family members were with him, according to a family statement that was released by longtime aide Dan Gerstein.
“Senator Lieberman’s love of God, his family, and America endured throughout his life in the public interest,” the family said.
Lieberman’s funeral is scheduled for Friday at Congregation Agudath Sholom in his hometown of Stamford. An additional memorial service will be announced at a later date.
Lieberman’s friends and former colleagues were stunned by the news Wednesday as word spread quickly among his former staff members and associates.
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.
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.
He was also the first national Democrat to publicly criticize President Bill Clinton for his extramarital affair with a White House intern.Lieberman sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 but dropped out after a…
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