Below The Beltway

Recent statements by Hillary Clinton notwithstanding, it looks like Joe Lieberman will be getting some help from his friends:

WASHINGTON — Embattled Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman is getting a little help from his Senate friends as he tries to fend off an anti-Iraq war challenger in an intraparty fight.

Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware, Barbara Boxer of California and Ken Salazar of Colorado plan to campaign in Connecticut for Lieberman between now and the Aug. 8 primary. Their goal is to reassure the party faithful of the three-term senator’s loyalty to Democratic causes, including women’s issues, labor and the environment.

Needless to say, the race in Connecticut is complicating things for Democrats across the nation:

Democrats fear Lieberman and Lamont could split the November vote and hand the Republicans a Senate seat in a three-way runoff. Party officials also did not anticipate having to devote scarce campaign resources to Lieberman in reliably Democratic Connecticut.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, have pledged support for Lieberman in the primary, but they refused to say whom they would back if Lieberman loses the primary.

The Democratic National Committee said it would not take sides in the primary but would back the nominee in the fall.

Lieberman’s move also complicates the political calculus for Democratic presidential hopefuls, including his Connecticut colleague, Sen. Christopher Dodd, and two other Northeast senators, John Kerry of Massachusetts and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

Dodd must consider whether his support for Lieberman alienates liberal voters who tend to dominate presidential primaries. Dodd backs Lieberman, but he won’t say whom he would support if Lieberman loses the primary and launches an independent run.

Clinton has been a loyal Lieberman supporter but said Tuesday that she would back the Democratic primary winner. Kerry said Wednesday that he also would support the Democratic nominee.

Its unlikely, I think, that a three way race in Connecticut would lead to a Republcian victory. More likely, it would split the field sufficiently to allow Lieberman to be elected as an Independent. More importantly, though, the August 8th primary is shaping up to be a showdown between Democratic insiders and the Daily Kos crowd, strong backers of Ned Lamont. If Lieberman manages to pull off a victory, it will be a bigger defeat than when they failed to pull off the Alito filibuster in January.

Previous Posts:

Joe LIeberman’s Friends Continue To Show Their True Colors
Lieberman May Run As An Independent
With Friends Like These