Joe Lieberman, the former senator (D., Conn.) and vice-presidential nominee, has died at 82 after complications from a fall.
Lieberman’s death was first reported Wednesday by Punchbowl News. A longtime moderate voice in the Senate, Lieberman won a third-party campaign for his seat in 2006 and retired from the Senate in 2013 after serving four terms. In 200, he was the running mate of Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore; the pair ultimately lost to the Republican ticket, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
“Former United States Senator Joseph I. Lieberman died this afternoon, March 27, 2024, in New York City due to complications from a fall,” his family said in a statement. “He was 82 years old. His beloved wife, Hadassah, and members of his family were with him as he passed. Senator Lieberman’s love of God, his family, and America endured throughout his life of service in the public interest.”
His funeral will be held on Friday at an orthodox Jewish synagogue in his hometown of Stamford, Conn. Until his death, Lieberman was spearheading the “No Labels” third-party effort to nominate a centrist presidential candidate for the upcoming 2024 election.
First elected to the Senate in 1988, Lieberman narrowly defeated liberal Republican Lowell Weicker by running as a moderate Democrat. In 1994, Lieberman won reelection by a landslide, and six years later he ran for reelection while running with Gore.
Gore said he is “profoundly saddened” by Lieberman’s death and praised his integrity: “It was an honor to stand side-by-side with him on the campaign trail. I’ll remain forever grateful for his tireless efforts to build a better future for America.”
A supporter of American strength abroad, Lieberman successfully pushed for the Department of Homeland Security to be created following 9/11 and backed the Iraq War, a move that would greatly diminish his standing among Democrats. On domestic issues, Lieberman took party-line Democratic positions and notably opposed violence in video games. He supported abortion, gun restrictions, environmentalism, and gay marriage, while opposing conservative nominees to the Supreme Court and other significant appellate courts.
Lieberman ran for president in the 2004 Democratic primary and failed to gain traction. After losing the Democratic Senate primary in 2006, Lieberman defeated Democratic candidate Ned Lamont by running on the Connecticut for Lieberman party line.
Not long after, Lieberman broke from his party again, and endorsed Republican presidential nominee John McCain in the 2008 presidential election, rather than Democratic candidate Barack Obama, because of McCain’s strong support for counterterrorism efforts. Nevertheless, Lieberman remained a registered Democrat and caucused with the party during his final Senate term. In January 2011, Lieberman announced he would not be seeking reelection and his seat was later filled by sitting Democratic senator Chris Murphy.
“Connecticut is shocked by Senator Lieberman’s sudden passing. In an era of political carbon copies, Joe Lieberman was a singularity. One of one. He fought and won for what he believed was right and for the state he adored. My thoughts are with Hadassah and the entire family,” Murphy said on X.
Lamont, the governor of Connecticut, mourned Lieberman’s passing and celebrated their spirited disagreement on the Iraq War.
“Annie and I send our deepest condolences to Hadassah and the Lieberman family on the passing of former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman. While the senator and I had our political differences, he was a man of integrity and conviction, so our debate about the Iraq War was serious,” Lamont said.
“I believe we agreed to disagree from a position of principle. When the race was over, we stayed in touch as friends in the best traditions of American democracy. He will be missed.”
Former presidents Obama and Bush, and McCain’s daughter, Meghan, celebrated Lieberman’s legacy of bipartisanship and principled stances.
“As a Democrat, Joe wasn’t afraid to engage with Senators from across the aisle and worked hard to earn votes from outside his party. He engaged in serious and thoughtful debate with opposing voices on important issues,” Bush said. “I’m grateful for Joe’s principled service to our country and for the dignity and patriotism he brought to public life.”
“Joe Lieberman and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but he had an extraordinary career in public service, including four decades spent fighting for the people of Connecticut,” Obama said, noting Lieberman’s work on the Affordable Care Act and opposition to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Meghan McCain posted a picture of herself with her late father and Lieberman with the caption “I love you, Joe.” Lieberman delivered a eulogy at McCain’s funeral in 2018 and revealed that he had turned down an offer to be McCain’s running mate.
White-collar law firm Kasowitz Benson Torres hired Lieberman after his Senate career concluded. His bio on the firm’s website touts Lieberman’s leadership in numerous congressional investigations and policy initiatives. Before joining the Senate, Lieberman was Connecticut’s attorney general and a state senator.
National Review founder William F. Buckley Jr. and Lieberman were friends for more than four decades. He and his late brother, former senator James L. Buckley, supported Lieberman’s 1988 Senate campaign.
“I feel particularly grateful to Bill Buckley for all that I learned from him, all the good times I had with him. You might say that I would not be a U.S. Senator were it not for Bill Buckley — though Buckley himself would not say that,” Lieberman wrote in the pages of National Review when William F. Buckley passed away in 2008.
Throughout his life, Lieberman, an observant Jew, strongly supported Israel. Last week, he penned a column in the Wall Street Journal criticizing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) for demanding that Israel hold new elections to oust Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu.
Lieberman co-chaired the bipartisan commission on biodefense and worked with multiple foreign-policy think tanks after he left office. He was a board member of the Institute for the Study of War, the McCain Institute, and the Center for a New American Security.
Lieberman leaves behind his wife Hadassah and three children, including two from a previous marriage.