Former Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman died Wednesday afternoon at the age of 82. His family said the long-time senator succumbed to injuries sustained in a fall.
In a statement shared by CNN’s Jake Tapper, the family announced, “Former United States Senator Joseph I. Lieberman died this afternoon, March 27, 2024, in New York City due to complications from a fall.”
The announcement confirmed that his wife, Hadasah, and family members were at his side when he passed. It concluded, “Senator Lieberman’s love of God, his family and America endured throughout his life of service in the public interest.”
The family said that a funeral will be held at Congregation Agudath Sholom in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut.
Lieberman was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1988 and served his state until 2013. He hit a dire political roadblock in 2006 when he was upset in his party’s primary, but that did not keep him out of Congress for a single day.
Sending deep sympathies to the family of Senator Joe Lieberman. Just heard that he has passed away.
He was a strong leader in the Senate for many years. A loyal friend, and a supporter of Israel.
May his family find peace in this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/VzReROGqsj
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) March 28, 2024
Instead, the former Democrat ran in the general election as an independent and kept his seat. He finished his Senate service as an independent, though he caucused with his previous party.
Lieberman made history in 2000 when he became the first Jewish candidate on a major political party ticket. He was Al Gore’s vice presidential nominee, but they were defeated by Republican George W. Bush.
He followed with a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 but stepped aside after poor results in early primaries.
Lieberman’s retirement from the Senate did not end his involvement in politics. He recently served as the founding chairman for the centrist No Labels, an organization that rejects partisanship and attempts to nominate centrist candidates.
No Labels released a statement praising Lieberman as “a singular figure in American political life who always put his country before party.” It also credited him with keeping a cool and civil head as partisanship seized the day.
The group said that “as American politics became progressively coarser and angrier, Senator Lieberman was unfailingly civil and decent to political allies and opponents alike.”
