Joe Lieberman
U.S. Senator
Independent, Connecticut
- Date of Birth: February 24, 1942
- Birthplace: Stamford, Conn.
- First Elected: 1988
Committee Assignments:
Senate Committee on Armed Services, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Senate Committee on Small Business and EntrepreneurshipJoe Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with the Democratic Party, was first elected to the Senate in 1988 as a Democrat after spending ten years as a Connecticut state senator and six as the state's attorney general. In the Senate, Lieberman is a moderate who advocates for protecting the environment and increased funding for public schools. A dedicated Jew, Lieberman believes policies should be influenced by religious faith, and he is a strong supporter of Israel. In the 2000 presidential elections, Lieberman was Al Gore's running mate, and he briefly sought the Democratic Party's nomination for president in the 2004 elections. Lieberman has consistently supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was an advocate for former President Bush's war policies after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and he led the effort to establish the Department of Homeland Security. He became chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in 2005, the same year he teamed up with Sen. John McCain to oppose the Democrats' calls for troop withdrawals from Iraq. Lieberman's party switch came during his 2006 Senate re-election campaign, when he lost in the primary to an anti-war Democrat. He rejoined the ballot as an independent and successfully beat his Democratic opponent by ten percentage points. His active campaigning on behalf of Republican presidential candidate McCain--and against then-candidate Barack Obama--during the 2008 elections worsened his relationship with the Democratic Party. In December 2009, Lieberman further distanced himself from Democrats when he promised to vote with Republicans, who vowed to block healthcare legislation, unless a plan to expand Medicare was taken out of the legislation. It was removed, and Lieberman voted in favor of the healthcare reform bill that became law in 2010. Lieberman and his wife Hadassah have four children and six grandchildren.
Campaign Fundraising
2005 - Present| Top 5 Organizations | PACs | Individuals | Total |
| United Technologies | $17,500 | $128,850 | $146,350 |
| Sempra Energy | $15,000 | $104,600 | $119,600 |
| Purdue Pharma | $16,000 | $90,100 | $106,100 |
| UBS AG | $15,000 | $75,300 | $90,300 |
| Lehman Brothers | $7,500 | $80,500 | $88,000 |
| Top 5 Industries | PACs | Individuals | Total |
| Real Estate | $6,000 | $30,000 | $36,000 |
| Lawyers & Law Firms | $16,500 | $17,550 | $34,050 |
| Misc. Defense | $12,500 | $19,450 | $31,950 |
| Securities & Investment | $2,500 | $24,300 | $26,800 |
| Electric Utilities | $24,000 | $0 | $24,000 |
Joe Lieberman in the News
-
Heye: Democrats Rebelling Against Obama Birth Control Policy
February 09, 2012
Some Democrats are among most publicly opposed the an Obama policy requiring religious institutions to cover contraceptives. -
Lieberman Criticizes the Polarization of Congress
December 19, 2011
Lieberman says if Walmart fought like the Dems and GOP, shoppers would leave - What The Neocons Don't Ask: How Much Will It Cost To Stay In Iraq? In an op-ed in the Washington Post last week, Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) complained about a report that the Obama administration is considering keeping 3,000 U.S. troops in Iraq past the end-of-the-year total…
- FBI says it pulled anti-Muslim training materials WIRED 's Spencer Ackerman broke a story yesterday on the anti-Muslim training materials the FBI used to train intelligence units. According to the FBI, the agency has pulled the training . The FBI on Thursday said it had stopped a training session that called the Prophet Muhammad…
- Joe Lieberman loves Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann Joe Lieberman is retiring from the U.S. Senate, because he's a widely hated troll with no chance of winning another term, but before he goes he's going to take every opportunity possible to do what he feels G-d Himself sent him to Congress to do: Annoy liberals. Today, he gives an interview to the National…
