Lieberman trails in Democratic race

HARTFORD, Connecticut - Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman trailed in early returns today in a Democratic Party showdown that focused on the former vice presidential candidate's support for the Iraq war and President George W. Bush.

Lieberman, a three-term senator, scrambled to avoid a humiliating Democratic primary defeat at the hands of Ned Lamont, a relative unknown who had called the senator a cheerleader for Bush and urged voters to send an anti-war message to the country.

Lamont, whose last try for office was an unsuccessful 1990 run for the state Senate, led Lieberman by 56-44 per cent with about 17 per cent of the vote tallied.

Lamont's outsider bid to unseat Lieberman in Democratic-leaning Connecticut could offer an early measure of anti-war sentiment among voters before November's election, when control of Congress will be up for grabs.

"Your vote will determine the national headlines tomorrow: 'Connecticut Democrats show support for War, US President George W. Bush' or 'Democrats in Connecticut foreshadow national call for accountability in Iraq,'" Lamont, a wealthy cable television executive, said in an election-day appeal on his website.

The winner will face off in November against Republican Alan Schlesinger, a former state legislator who is seen as little threat in Connecticut. Lieberman says he will run as an independent if he loses the primary, although a lopsided defeat would put pressure on him to step aside.

Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz said she expected about 200,000 voters, including about 27,000 newly registered Democrats who can cast ballots in the Senate primary. Independents and unaffiliated voters had until midday Monday (local time) to register as Democrats to vote in the Senate primary.

Democratic voter Amanda Severin of Mystic said she wavered until the last minute before casting a vote for Lieberman.

"I don't know much about Ned Lamont. He seems to have only very vague plans. He is against Bush and he is against the war, but that is all he is saying," she said.

The Connecticut race attracted national attention for its emphasis on the war and Democratic anger at Bush, with Lamont casting the race as a referendum on the war and calling Lieberman an enabler of Bush and a Bush "lapdog."

Lieberman fought back, emphasising his experience and Democratic credentials and calling himself a reliable opponent of Bush's domestic agenda.

He argued a quick pullout of troops "would be a disaster for Iraqis and for us" but said the Bush administration had made mistakes in its conduct of the war.

Lieberman wrote a Wall Street Journal article last year headlined "Our Troops Must Stay" and warned Democrats about criticising Bush on the war.

- REUTERS