Former Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman died on Wednesday at the age of 82.
Lieberman had a long career in the Senate, first arriving in 1989 as a Democrat. In 2000, as Al Gore’s running mate, Lieberman became the first Jewish vice presidential nominee of a major party. In the next cycle, he launched his own presidential bid, which he ended in February 2004 after failing to gain traction. His relationship with the party became complicated over the years. As he defended his continuing support for the Iraq War, he lost his Senate primary in 2006 but won reelection as an independent.
“In an era of political carbon copies, Joe Lieberman was a singularity. One of one,” his successor in the Senate, Christopher S. Murphy, wrote in a social media tribute after his death.
