Supporting war dooms Lieberman in primary

HARTFORD, Conn. — Sen. Joe Lieberman was defeated in a stunning primary upset Tuesday as Democrats rejected his support of the Iraq war and cordial embrace of President Bush.

One of the country's most prominent Democrats, Lieberman, 64, was defeated by millionaire and political novice Ned Lamont, 52.

Lieberman immediately announced he would enter the fall campaign as an independent. Only six years ago, Lieberman was the Democrats' choice for vice president.

"As I see it, in this campaign we just finished the first half and the Lamont team is ahead. But, in the second half, our team, Team Connecticut, is going to surge forward to victory in November," Lieberman said after conceding defeat and congratulating Lamont.

Lamont ran on his opposition to the Iraq war. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Lamont led with 52 percent of the vote, or 144,005, to Lieberman's 48 percent, or 134,026. Turnout was projected at twice the norm for a primary.

"They call Connecticut the land of steady habits," a jubilant Lamont told cheering supporters. "Tonight we voted for a big change."

Lieberman's loss made him only the fourth incumbent senator to lose a primary since 1980.

The Connecticut primary was closely watched around the country as a barometer of anti-war sentiment that could shape the outcome of the November midterm elections, particularly in Democratic-leaning states.

Beyond that, the race carried implications for a Democratic Party that long has been split over national security and whose congressional leaders and likely 2008 presidential candidates have struggled to find consensus on the way forward in Iraq.

"The way voters responded in Connecticut is a real bellwether for the fall elections," said Tom Matzzie, Washington director for the liberal group Moveon.org Political Action, which worked to defeat Lieberman.

"Voters want change and leaders who will stand up for ending the war. The lesson is, you get too close to President Bush, you get burned."

Republicans also were expected to assert a national mandate in the vote, namely that Democrats were purging their already small hawkish wing and returning to the reflexive anti-war days of 1972 presidential candidate George McGovern. They hoped that would make the Democrats appear weak and boost their own prospects for holding Congress this fall.

On Sunday, Lieberman had used what he called a closing argument that appeared to temper his support for the war and Bush. He noted that he wants U.S. troops out of Iraq as soon as possible and that he has frequently opposed Bush on other issues.

His once-assured renomination for a fourth Senate term hit troubles as Lamont focused his campaign on Lieberman's support for the war and his refusal to criticize Bush's conduct of it. Lamont financed much of his early campaign himself and, as he gained in the polls, was helped by contributions from anti-war Democrats around the country.

Lieberman often was at odds with his party or some of its constituencies.

He supported school vouchers, driving teachers unions to oppose him and help Lamont. He questioned affirmative action, raising questions among African Americans despite his work on civil rights. He worked on a Senate compromise that allowed some of Bush's judicial nominees to be confirmed while preserving the Democrats' right to filibuster. He supported congressional intervention in the Terri Schiavo right-to-die case in Florida.

Even worse, in Democrats' view, he was caught on camera being embraced by Bush at a State of the Union address.

Lamont is a wealthy Greenwich businessman whose great-grandfather, Thomas Lamont, was a chairman of J.P. Morgan & Co. He made a fortune in the telecommunications industry but is a relative newcomer to politics, having served previously as a Greenwich selectman. He lost a bid for the Senate in 1990.

Lamont built his campaign initially with the enthusiastic support of the so-called Net roots — bloggers and other Internet-based activists — and then expanded with a grass-roots campaign that attracted rank-and-file Democrats who opposed the war and who complained that Lieberman had neglected the interests of his home state.

The last day of the often-

bitter Connecticut contest was marked by charges of campaign dirty tricks when Lieberman's Web site crashed and Lieberman accused Lamont supporters of sabotaging it. Lamont denied any role, and pro-Lamont bloggers said Lieberman's Web site was a cheap operation prone to collapse.

Compiled from reports by McClatchy Newspapers, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.