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Voters were drawn to the polls in large part because of the close race between U. S. Sen. Joe Lieberman and challenger Ned Lamont,
These two candidates headed into primary day in a dead heat. In fact, the attention of the politically-attuned throughout the nation was riveted on the outcome of this Senate race. At the end of the day, Ned Lamont, a little known Greenwich businessman, won the primary election for the Senate seat by a 52 percent to 48 percent margin.
Many pundits felt that Lamont's win was a barometer of the Iraq anti-war sentiment among voters. Lamont had run on a platform urging the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Lieberman, on the other hand, had originally voted for support of the Iraq War and was seen as too close to President George W. Bush.
He was also reluctant to set a date for troop withdrawal, fearing that terrorists would use this to their advantage.
Lieberman conceded defeat by the evening of Aug. 8, but immediately announced his candidacy as an Independent for the Senate seat. Lieberman said during a press conference, "I think it would be irresponsible and inconsistent with my principles if I were to just walk off the field."
Accordingly, he filed his petition of 18,000 signatures with the state, although only 7,500 were required.
Although most Democratic officials have thrown their support behind Lamont, Lieberman is convinced he can win as an independent. There is some precedent for this optimism. In 1990, Connecticut elected Lowell Weicker as the governor when he ran as an Independent.
CBS/NY Times conducted an exit poll to elucidate voter sentiment about certain issues surrounding the contest between Lieberman and Lamont. Some 2,654 voters were questioned at 25 different locations, one of which was Woodbridge.
Voter sentiment showed that 78 percent disapproved of the Iraq War and 60 percent of those people voted for Lamont. Of those who supported the war, 78 percent voted for Lieberman. And of the 59 percent of voters that felt the relationship between Lieberman and Bush was too close, the overwhelming number voted for Lamont.
Many Democrats are not in favor of Lieberman running as an independent. Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said that Lieberman should throw his support behind Lamont. "I think that is what you (Lieberman) have to do to help this country," Dean said on NBC's "Meet the Press".
This call for unification was reflected in the CBS/NY Times poll. 61 percent of those polled were against Lieberman competing as an independent, while 39 percent supported this action.
Of those who voted for Lieberman, 1 in 5 did not support Lieberman as an independent.
A Rasmussen Reports survey conducted several days after the election showed Lieberman leading Lamont by 46 percent to 41 percent.
Just a month ago, Lieberman and Lamont were tied at 40 percent. Alan Schlesinger, the Republican candidate for the Senate seat, trailed at 6 percent.
