Former Vice President Nominee, Senator Has Died at 82

(WatchDogReport.org) – Former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, who became the first Jewish vice-presidential candidate in United States history, died on March 27 in New York City at the age of 82. In a statement, his family said that the Democratic politician was surrounded by his family members, including his wife, Hadassah when he passed. The family added that numerous complications from a recent fall were the cause of his death and informed that his funeral would take place in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut, at the Congregation Agudath Sholom.

Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who took over his seat after retiring from politics, said on his Twitter account he felt shocked over Lieberman’s sudden death. Murphy explained that Lieberman will always be remembered as a “singularity” in a large period of “political carbon copies.” The senator added that Lieberman always “fought and won,” not only for Connecticut but also for everything that he believed was right.

The former vice-presidential candidate was known for being one of the most conservative members among Senate Democrats. He burst into the national spotlight back in 1998 after he scolded then-President Bill Clinton in the upper chamber because of his scandalous affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Lieberman said at that moment that the Democratic president’s conduct was disappointing and “disgraceful.”

Numerous reports explained that his independent streak made former Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore pick him as his running mate in the 2000 presidential nomination. Years later, members of Gore’s campaign explained that choosing Lieberman as his vice president was crucial to putting some distance between the environmentalist leader and the numerous scandals surrounding the Clinton administration. Gore eventually lost the electoral event to Republican nominee George W. Bush.

Lieberman’s support for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 ruined his chances of winning any Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. It even led to a significant fall with many liberals in the party. However, he was highly respected by Democrats and even Republicans in the Senate because of his pragmatism.