HARTFORD, Conn., June 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., announced Monday he will not withdraw from the Aug. 8 Democratic primary in which he's being challenged.
The 64-year-old three-term senator, who was the Democratic Party vice presidential nominee in 2000, is being challenged by businessman Ned Lamont, and said he would leave his options open "if the unexpected" happened, and he lost the primary.
Lamont has made Lieberman's support for the war in Iraq a main issue.
If that were to happen, Lieberman could run in November's election as a petitioning candidate, but in that case, he would have only one day -- until 4 p.m. Aug. 9 -- to gather 7,500 signatures from registered voters, the Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported.
Lieberman has been trying to discredit Lamont among Democrats by claiming he was a frequent Republican ally while serving as a local official in Greenwich.
