Lieberman Soars with GOP Support

Talk Show America 10/23/2006





"Running as an independent, as you well know, was not my first choice," Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., proclaimed recently. "I honestly now look at it as a kind of . . . a blessing."

The blessing is apparently showing in the latest polls.

With 18 years of Senate seniority on the line in his Nov. 7 run against the Democratic candidate Ned Lamont, the latest Quinnipiac University poll shows Lieberman ahead by 17 points.

Lieberman's success is due to the unprecedented support of GOP voters willing to cross over to keep a moderate in the Democratic Party.

The Quinnipiac poll showed the GOP effect for Lieberman: the Republican candidate, Alan Schlesinger, trails the field with just 6 percent of the vote.

But the race is far from over. Lamont, a wealthy businessman, has jumped to the challenge by writing his campaign another check for $2 million in the last week -- bringing in his total personal contributions to $12.7 million.

Lamont upset Lieberman in last summer's Democratic primary by hitching his campaign to liberal bloggers like MoveOn.org and the DailyKos -- and spending from his own checking account.

But general elections are not so easily bought.