Former Democratic 2000 Vice President Nominee Joe Lieberman Dead at Age 82
Longtime Connecticut senator and 2000 vice president nominee Joe Lieberman has died at age 82, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Lieberman passed away on Wednesday in New York surrounded by his family.
In a statement, the late senator's family said he died "due to complications from a fall."
"He was 82 years old. His beloved wife, Hadassah, and members of his family were with him as he passed," the family added.
Lieberman served as a senator for Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. Twelve years into his senate career, Democrat nominee Al Gore selected Liebman as his running mate.
While Gore and Lieberman lost to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in one of the country's closest presidential elections, the senator made history as the first Jewish American to be nominated on a major party's ticket.
Lieberman celebrated his nomination as a major breakthrough for aspiring Jewish politicians.
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On Lieberman's historic nomination, the authors of Jews in American Politics wrote, “No Jew had ever sought such a lofty office."
“The net effect of the nomination has been to change the perception of what is possible for Jewish candidates for office for all time," the authors added.
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During his political career, Lieberman remained a staunch Democrat on issues including abortion rights and economic policy.
In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Lieberman ruffled his party's feathers with his stance on foreign policy and openly supported the U.S.'s invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The following year, Lieberman launched his own bid for the White House but failed to secure the 2004 Democratic nomination, largely due to friction over his policies within the party.
Refusing to walk back his position on the Iraq war, Lieberman eventually lost the Democratic primary for his senate seat in 2006; however, he pivoted and ran as an Independent and won re-election.
Two years after breaking from Democrats in the 2006 primary, Lieberman outraged his former party when he appeared at the Republican National Convention in support of his dear friend, Sen. John McCain, who secured the Republican presidential nomination the same year against Barack Obama.
Ten years later, Lieberman eulogized McCain at his funeral. The late Arizona senator admitted he wished he had selected Lieberman as his running mate in 2008 over Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.