Lieberman bounces back from primary loss

The independent candidate for the U.S. Senate stood at the helm of PT-109, the World War II torpedo boat commanded by a young Navy lieutenant named John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was standing in the same spot when a Japanese destroyer ran over the vessel.

Joe Lieberman, the Democratic senator from Connecticut for 18 years and Al Gore’s running mate in the 2000 presidential race, may have experienced a similar crushing sensation in August when he lost his party’s primary to challenger Ned Lamont.

But as he noted on the PT boat, on exhibit at the Mystic Aquarium Institute for Exploration here, Kennedy lived to fight another day. And so, Lieberman hopes, will he. “Survival, service and patriotism,” he declared Thursday. “That is the symbolism here.”

But the man who said Kennedy and Harry S. Truman “stood for my vision not only of public service, but of the Democratic Party,” now finds himself estranged from that tradition.

Voters in Connecticut’s Democratic primary rebuffed Lieberman in favor of a multimillionaire businessman who seized on voter frustration over the Iraq war, and with the 64-year-old senator who has consistently defended administration policy in Iraq.

But Lieberman vowed he would stay in the race as an independent, and bounced back. A Quinnipiac University poll released Nov. 1 showed Lieberman leading Lamont, 49% to 37%.

Republican Alan Schlesinger scored 8% in the poll by Quinnipiac, based in Hamden, Conn. Five percent of voters said they were undecided, and 12% said they might change their minds on election day.

In the final days of a grueling campaign, Lieberman said that as a solo candidate, he had had to work harder than in past races.

“I don’t have members of either of the parties and their organizations working for me,” he said. “So I’ve got to get out there and hustle.”

The director of Quinnipiac’s poll, Douglas Schwartz, said Lamont had begun faltering the night of his primary acceptance speech. Standing with him on the stage was the Rev. Al Sharpton, a polarizing figure even among Democrats.

“It was at that point that he needed to pivot from the Democratic primary to the general electorate,” Schwartz said. “That was the first time a lot of Connecticut voters, especially independents who vote as Republicans, were learning about Lamont. It was not the best first impression.”

Lamont also took a vacation immediately after the primary, “thinking that voters wanted a break,” Schwartz said.

Lieberman moved in fast and strong. He fired his campaign manager and spokesman, replacing them with two longtime aides.

He went to work defining Lamont as a single-issue candidate and political novice.

“Partly I think Joe got it together, and partly I think Lamont didn’t learn much from winning,” said Yale University political science professor Douglas Rae. “I also think Joe must have known something about how independents would vote when he refused to get out after the primary. If he didn’t have the data, he wouldn’t have done it. Joe is stubborn but not stupid.”

Rae said Lieberman also had fired back after the primary with shrewd television ads.

About 43% of the Connecticut electorate is unaffiliated. Democrats account for 34% of state voters, Republicans 21%. The $31-million Senate race has set new spending records in a state with fewer than 2 million registered voters.

Lieberman’s name will appear far down on the candidates’ list, below Lamont, Schlesinger and candidates from the Concerned Citizens and Green parties. So Lieberman is recruiting more than 2,000 “poll standers” to be outside polling places Tuesday to help voters locate his name.

Lieberman also travels to campaign appearances with a portable voting booth in the back of a pickup to show where his name can be found on the ballot.

Often, Lieberman is dogged by a float that has been nicknamed “The Kiss.” The float, which is not officially sanctioned by the Lamont campaign, features oversize caricature heads of Lieberman and President Bush in an embrace.

Most leading Democrats are working for Lamont. Even Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy -- the youngest brother of Lieberman’s political idol -- campaigned for Lamont.

“Obviously we have different ideas of what the [Kennedy] legacy means,” Lieberman said.

Lieberman’s top backers include New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a Republican. National and state Republicans have all but abandoned their party’s nominee, Schlesinger, urging support for Lieberman.

At Mystic Pizza, general manager Robert Rustico said the Senate race had been “crazy.” Rustico said he usually voted Republican but might jump ship and vote for Lamont. He said Lieberman took voters for granted before the primary.

“I think he got a big head when he was nominated for vice president,” said Rustico, 33. “He thought the primary was something he could roll into and walk over this guy. He didn’t take it seriously. Well, now he’s taking it seriously.”

elizabeth.mehren@latimes.com