Joseph Lieberman, a centrist Democrat who served four terms in the United States Senate and was his party’s nominee for vice president in 2000, died today after complications from a fall. He was 82.
As Al Gore’s running mate 24 years ago, Lieberman won New Jersey’s 15 electoral votes; Gore and Lieberman carried New Jersey by 504,677 votes, 56%-40%, against Republicans George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
During that campaign, Lieberman made two stops in New Jersey.
On September 26, he delivered a speech on Medicare at a senior citizen center in Union Township, attended a Democratic National Committee fundraiser at the offices of real estate developer Charles Kushner in Florham, Park, and spoke at the Bricklayers Union convention in Atlantic City.
Lieberman returned to New Jersey on October 19 to headline a DNC fundraiser at the home of Democratic insider Orin Kramer in Englewood. He also made a campaign stop at the Millburn Diner and attended a fundraiser for Fanwood Mayor Maryanne Connelly, who was the Democratic candidate for the open 7th district congressional seat against Republican Mike Ferguson.
The Gore/Lieberman ticket won every New Jersey county but Morris, Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Somerset, Ocean, and Cape May. Maggie Moran was their state campaign director.
When Lieberman sought the Democratic nomination for President in 2004, he received the endorsement of Rep. Steven Rothman (D-Fair Lawn).
Lieberman raised $786,516 from New Jersey donors in his presidential campaign; his donors included Jared Kushner, Charles Kushner, Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes, former New Jersey Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek, Minnesota Vikings owner Ziggy Wilf, longtime New Jersey Senate Democratic counsel Leon Sokol, Superior Court Judge David Katz, prominent Bergen County attorney Melvin Solomon, and Lois Lautenberg, the former wife of U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg.
He dropped out of the race after finishing fifth in the New Hampshire primary with 8.6% of the vote.
Lieberman was elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 1970 and spent six of his ten years as Senate Majority Leader. He lost a bid for Congress in 1980 and was elected Attorney General of Connecticut in 1982.
With the help of some national conservatives, including William F. Buckley, Lieberman ousted a liberal Republican and three-term incumbent, Lowell Weicker, in the 1988 race for the United States Senate.
When he sought re-election to a fourth term in 2006, Lieberman lost the Democratic primary to now-Gov. Ned Lamont; he ran as an independent and won re-election. Republican John McCain briefly considered him as a running mate in 2008, and he retired from the Senate four years later.
“Today, America lost one of our best. My friend and mentor, former Senator Joe Lieberman, served our nation in Congress for more than two decades. He was a trailblazer — the first Jewish candidate on a major presidential ticket. He inspired a generation of leaders to run for office, including me,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff). “Time and time again, Joe put country over party to craft and pass commonsense legislation to improve the lives of people across the country. I am grateful for his strong voice for Americans everywhere.”