Call it a sign of the leftward drift of the Democrats -- 2000 Donk Veep Candidate Joe Lieberman is locked in a tight primary race and may run for reelection as an independent.

Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman, warily watching his primary challenger advance in the polls, must soon decide whether to start collecting signatures for a possible independent bid this November.

Lieberman's campaign contends that it's focused only on winning the Aug. 8 primary, but the Democrat has not ruled out petitioning his way onto the November ballot as part of a backup plan to secure a fourth term in the Senate.

"I am not going to close out any options," the senator recently told reporters.

Lieberman has until Aug. 9 — the day after the Democratic primary — to collect 7,500 signatures from registered voters to gain a spot on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate.

But any effort to gather signatures before the primary would be a sign of weakness, indicating that Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000, fears that he could lose to businessman Ned Lamont. The effort also would rile Democrats who already question Lieberman's party loyalty and his perceived closeness to President Bush.

The senator has been a strong backer of the Iraq war.

Lieberman's opponent is closing in the polls -- liberal bloggers cite a poll that shows the race to be down to a six-point margin between the two candidates. At the same time, polls of general election voters show huge support for Lieberman, with nearly 60% of all voters in Connecticutt backing the incumbent.

What does this development mean for the future of both parties? Are we looking at a fluke, at a realignment of the electorate, or a fluke? Only time will tell.

Posted by: Greg at 10:39 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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