Demos embrace Lieberman foe

HARTFORD, Conn. — Sen. Joe Lieberman said his conscience demanded that he run as an independent in Connecticut's Senate race even as his longtime political supporters threw their support to Ned Lamont, the anti-war challenger who defeated the 18-year incumbent in the Democratic primary.

"While I consider myself a devoted Democrat, I am even more devoted to my state and my country," Lieberman said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, a day after his stunning loss. "I think it would be irresponsible and inconsistent with my principles if I were to just walk off the field."

Even so, top Senate Democrats, including John Kerry and Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, Harry Reid of Nevada, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and Chuck Schumer of New York, said they supported Lamont as the duly elected choice of Connecticut's Democratic voters.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton stopped short of calling on Lieberman to quit the race but urged the senator to "search his conscience and decide what is best for Connecticut and for the Democratic Party."

Lieberman said he was not bothered by losing the support of his colleagues, noting he lost the primary even with their backing. "In the end, the people make up their own minds, and this is going to be a people's campaign," he said.

The defeat put Lieberman in the familiar role of a go-it-alone politician. He was the first prominent Democrat to openly criticize President Clinton's conduct with Monica Lewinsky. His support for the Iraq war and his defense of President Bush also have made him unpopular with members of his own party and gave Lamont a powerful platform on which to run.

Lieberman's 10,000-vote loss sets up a three-way race this fall among Lamont, Lieberman and Republican Alan Schlesinger, who has trailed far behind both Democrats in recent polls.

Though having both Lieberman and Lamont on the ballot could split the Democratic vote, Schlesinger is not considered a major threat. His campaign stumbled in July after revelations that he used a fake name to gamble at a Connecticut casino and had been sued over gambling debts at two New Jersey casinos.

Lieberman showed no signs of backing down, even though the Democrats' withdrawal of support also means he will be starved of money from party sources to again take on the millionaire Lamont.

"The bottom line is that I'm definitely in," said the 64-year-old three-term senator and former vice presidential nominee. "While I consider myself a devoted Democrat, I am even more devoted to my state and my country."