Lieberman, the first Jew to run for US Vice President, has died

Mr Lieberman died in New York at the age of 82 of complications from a fall, the family said in a statement released by US media.

A longtime Connecticut senator, Mr. Lieberman is best known for his role in one of the most tense elections in US history, when he ran for the vice presidency as a member of Democrat Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign.

A. Gore lost dramatically to the then governor of Texas, George W. Bush. The outcome of the election was determined by a disputed vote count in Florida and a Supreme Court decision that ultimately led to GW Bush’s victory.

Mr. Lieberman is the first Jew to be elected as a candidate of any major US party in such an election.

He distinguished himself as an independent in the deeply divided political scene in Washington.

In 2004, Mr. Lieberman unsuccessfully sought to become the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, and in 2008, he was seriously considered as a possible vice-presidential candidate by the Republican John McCain, who participated in the presidential election, and ultimately lost to the Democrat Barack Obama.

Lieberman, who has taken a “hawkish” view on national security, has clashed with many in the Democratic Party over his support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He was also a staunch supporter of liberal social views, including gun rights and abortion.

In 2006, Mr. Lieberman lost his bid for re-election to the Senate in the Democratic primary, but still retained his seat in the Senate by running as an independent candidate.

In 2023 Mr. Lieberman returned to “high” politics as one of the most visible faces of the “No Labels” organization. The political organization says it wants to give Americans a real third choice in the 2024 presidential election.

Supporters of President Joe Biden have repeatedly warned that the organization could turn away a portion of Democratic voters and thus help Republican Donald Trump in a tight election in November.