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Joe Lieberman, a former senator with personal experience returning from losing a first challenge, urges New Yorkers to vote for MP Joe Crowley, the long-time Democrat who lost to progressive Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez shockwaves through the Democratic establishment.
The Ocasio-Cortez victory "seems likely to hurt Congress, America, and the Democratic Party," wrote Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, in a Wall Street Journal editorial. He encouraged voters to support Crowley, whose name, from now on – through a quirk of New York's election law – will appear on the ballot as a Working Families Party candidate.
Seth Wenig / AP, FILE
Crowley insisted that he was not running and declared his support for Ocasio-Cortez. However, in a Twitter quarrel last week, Ocasio-Cortez said that Crowley intends to launch a third-party challenge to his general election campaign in November.
@repjoecrowley said on live television that he would absolutely support my candidacy.
Instead, he supported me for the 3 planned concession calls.
Now, he is launching a third party challenge against me and the Democratic Party – and against the will of @NYWFP .https: //t.co/Xvb6Jk8N8q
– Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@ Ocasio2018) July 12, 2018
Lieberman is currently senior counsel at Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, the long-standing law firm of President Trump, Marc Kasowitz. In 2006, he lost the Connecticut's primary Democratic senator to Ned Lamont, who ran against warmonger Lieberman on an anti-war platform.
Olivier Douliery / AFP / Getty Images Unlike Crowley, Lieberman had discussed a backup option before his main defeat, deciding to campaign as an independent if he lost. Immediately after Lamont's victory, Lieberman promised to campaign until November, and he defeated Lamont in the general election, as an independent on the "Connecticut for Lieberman" ticket.
Wednesday morning, Crowley tweeted: "Still not running."
Crowley said that he will support Ocasio-Cortez and even sang "Born to Run" in his honor after his victory.
"So much for" Born to Run, "tweeted Ocasio-Cortez last Thursday in reference to Crowley's refusal to remove his name from the poll.
This is for "Born to Run".
If you want to see me in Congress, we need your help more than ever. We can not underestimate the power of dark money.
Support us now: https://t.co/piU7pXr9CU
– Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@ Ocasio2018) July 12, 2018
The Workers' Families Party, caught in the crossfire, had originally endorsed Crowley in the primary, but has since enthusiastically supported Ocasio-Cortez.
On Wednesday, the party strongly disavowed Lieberman's opinion article on Twitter, writing that New York voters should not be inspired by the ex-senator.
Reminder that it is the same Joe Lieberman who:
? Undercut Dems in the 2000 recount
? Encouraged Bush-Cheney's march to war
? Lost his primary in 2006 and refused to accept the result
? Approved GOP vs Obama in 2008
? The expansion of health insurance killed and the public option in 20092 /
– NY Working Families (@NYWFP) July 18, 2018
In the same thread, the party writes: "We asked [Crowley] to withdraw from the November poll, but he refused."
If Crowley decides to be removed from the poll, his clearest option is to be nominated by the Working Families Party at a different race.
Bill Lipton, director of the Working Families Party in New York, told ABC News that the party had offered Crowley another support to free the voting line, but that Crowley had refused.
"There are routine procedures to remove candidates from the New York poll, and we were disappointed that Crowley refused to work with us to get out of the voting line," Lipton told ABC News.
Crowley's presence on the ballot is unlikely to affect the outcome of the race.
"This is a vote switcharoo charade [Crowley] does not want to participate, and he approved it, and there is no doubt that it will win," said the l & # 39; AFC Jerry H. Goldfeder.
As of now, however, Crowley will remain an option for voters. A campaign spokesman for Crowley declined to say he intends to remove his name from the ballot.
"Joe Lieberman is absolutely right: Joe still does not run," the spokesman said in a statement to ABC News.
Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated Crowley by 15 points after campaigning on a platform of left-wing social and economic justice.
In his article, Lieberman argues that Ocasio-Cortez will move the Democratic Party too far to the left, jeopardizing the Democrats' chances to take over the House and Senate in the upcoming mid-term elections.
"If Democrats want to regain a majority, it will be by winning constituencies with ordinary candidates," wrote Lieberman, pointing out that Nancy Pelosi has distanced herself from the leftist insurgency.
In an additional twist, Lamont, the candidate who defeated Lieberman in the 2006 primary, is currently running for the Connecticut governor against Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim. Lamont is highly favored to win.
The Ocasio-Cortez campaign declined to comment, and Lieberman did not respond to a request for comment.
