Sunday December 16, 2007Sen. Joseph Lieberman (Conn.), the 2000 Democratic vice-presidential nominee who currently lists his party affiliation as "Independent Democrat," will break party ranks tomorrow to endorse Sen. John McCain's presidential bid, according to sources close to the Arizona Republican.
The announcement will be made Monday in New Hampshire where Lieberman's moderate credentials may well help convince influential independent voters to support McCain.
"Obviously it helps us with Independents in New Hampshire" said a McCain source familiar with the endorsement. "But the real reason Lieberman is endorsing McCain is because he believes that John is the best candidate on issues of national security and the candidate most prepared to fight war against radical Islamic extremists."
McCain and Lieberman have been close friends for years and have emerged over the last several years as two of the most outspoken proponents of the war in Iraq. Lieberman's support for the war cost him his party's Senate nomination in 2006 as anti-war forces from across the country rallied behind businessman Ned Lamont to oust him. Unbowed, Lieberman ran and won as an independent for re-election.
"McCain has always been loyal to him and went to bat for him in his reelection campaign," said one senior McCain adviser. "There is no doubt that he is more closely aligned to McCain than anyone running for President."
While Lieberman has grown less and less popular within Democratic ranks, he remains a respected figure among moderate and unaligned voters.
That constituency is crucial in New Hampshire as unaffiliated voters, who can vote in either party's primary on Jan. 8, make up roughly 40 percent of the Granite State electorate.
The Lieberman endorsement is the latest in a string of successes for McCain. Over the weekend, the Des Moines Register and Boston Globe editorial boards endorsed his presidential bid.
No comments:
Post a Comment