Joe Lieberman May Have to Run as a Republican in 2012 or Retire

[onehandle]

Andrea Mitchell sat down with Politico's Craig Gordon to discuss their article on Joe Lieberman's choices if he wants to run for the Senate again in Connecticut. If he does switch parties and becomes a Republican he could be facing a primary challenge from Linda McMahon as well.

But no other avenue appears to be open to the 68-year-old Lieberman, who won a three-way contest in 2006 after losing the Democratic primary to a challenger from the left, Ned Lamont. One reason is that the ballot line for the Connecticut for Lieberman party, the vehicle he used in 2006, is no longer available to him.

After the 2006 election, a group of anti-Lieberman activists took over the party with the hope of embarrassing the senator by running a candidate against him in 2012. But its candidate for Senate this year failed to garner the 1 percent of the vote needed to keep the party's automatic ballot access next cycle.

To run as a third-party candidate again, "He would have to form a new party with some other name," the party's chairman and failed Senate nominee, John Mertens, said. "And it could not use the word 'Connecticut' or 'Lieberman' in the name," under the state's election regulations.

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/joe-lieberman-may-have-run-republican-2012

[FormerDittoHead]

1. Sooo... THAT'S supposed to stop him running as an independent?

>To run as a third-party candidate again, "He would have to form a new party with some other name," the party's chairman and failed Senate nominee, John Mertens, said. "And it could not use the word 'Connecticut' or 'Lieberman' in the name," under the state's election regulations.

After losing the primary in 2006 he managed for form his 3rd party in what, THREE MINUTES?

So he just has to fill out a form with a different name for his party, like the "Joe-L" party?

That's going to stop him? Yeah, right.

[Kingofalldems]

2. I believe Sen. Lieberman is on the same cocktail party

circuit as Andrea Mitchell. I wonder if he approved this article ahead of time?