Lieberman's 'Little Fun' in Animated Ad Rankles Opponent

A couple of old hands in Connecticut politics are ganging up on Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D).

George Jepsen, a former chairman of the state Democratic Party and former state Senate majority leader, on Monday endorsed the candidacy of Ned Lamont, a businessman who is closing in on Lieberman in the polls. Lamont's support has come largely from antiwar activists angry with Lieberman's stance on Iraq. Jepsen's endorsement follows one from former senator Lowell P. Weicker Jr., who was defeated by Lieberman in 1988.

"It's a very difficult decision, because I've known Joe Lieberman for 20-odd years, and I like him and I thought he's sincere in what he believes," Jepsen said. "But it's become increasingly clear on most of the major issues of the day that I don't share his values. . . . I personally believe the war is possibly the worst foreign policy mistake of the post-World War II era, and Joe has been an enabler of that."

Recent polls showed Lieberman holding a lead of 55 percent to 40 percent over Lamont among likely voters in the Aug. 8 Democratic primary.

Lieberman's campaign recently posted a Web ad poking fun at the Weicker-Lamont alliance. "Remember Lowell Weicker? Well, bears never forget. He's never gotten over losing his Senate race to Joe Lieberman," says the ad, which features animation of a bear. "But instead of coming out of hibernation, he's sent his bear cub, instead -- Ned Lamont."

Lieberman spokeswoman Marion Steinfels explained the ad as having "a little fun with the Greenwich billionaires uniting against Senator Lieberman." Lamont spokesman Liz Dupont-Diehl called the ad "pathetic."

Lieberman has won a string of endorsements from prominent Democrats around the state, including the state party chairman and state Senate majority leader. One endorsement he won't be getting is that of his 2000 running mate, Al Gore. In an interview Sunday with Al Hunt of Bloomberg TV, Gore called Lieberman "my close friend" but said, "I typically do not get involved in Democratic primaries."

Gore, who has opposed the Iraq war, did endorse former Vermont governor Howard Dean in the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries.

Democrats Cash In

For the first time in recent memory, the Democratic Party's House and Senate campaign committees have more money to spend on races than their Republican counterparts.

Five months before the midterm elections, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ended May with $24.5 million in the bank, compared with the National Republican Congressional Committee's $21.9 million, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission yesterday.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had $33.5 million at the end of last month and the National Republican Senatorial Committee showed $18.5 million.

Republicans still maintain a wide advantage in one arena. The Republican National Committee ended May with $43 million in the bank; the Democratic National Committee had $10.3 million.

Thompson Won't Challenge Kohl

Former governor Tommy Thompson announced Monday that he will not seek the Senate seat in Wisconsin, which leaves Republicans with no major challenger to Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl.

"Governor Thompson will not run for the United States Senate in 2006," Thompson's office said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. "He is enjoying his work in the private sector and decided against a return to public office at this time."

Thompson, 64, announced last month he would not run for governor but left open the possibility of running against Kohl, a three-term incumbent. Once the longest-serving governor in Wisconsin, Thompson resigned in 2001 to become President Bush's first secretary of Health and Human Services.

Washingtonpost.com staff writer Chris Cillizza contributed to this report.