Gore Lieberman Hillary Liberal Party

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The Liberal Party, founded in 1944, is a minor political party in New York State. The party generally supports democratic candidates, but has been known to support more liberal republican candidates as well. In the case of the 2000 U.S. presidential election, the Liberal Party supported the democratic ticket of former vice president Al Gore and his running mate, Joe Lieberman—the first Jewish man to be on the presidential ticket for a major American political party. Gore and Lieberman campaigned along with former first lady Hillary Clinton (who was running to represent New York in the U.S. Senate), and regularly attended rallies and other election-related events together.

When Al Gore chose Lieberman—a more conservative democrat who would eventually become an Independent—as his running mate, there were great hopes the choice would boost democratic support in New York, and undermine republican George W. Bush’s efforts to make inroads in the traditionally democratic stronghold of the Northeast.

The election was one of the closest in U.S. presidential history, and sparked a months-long investigation into the legitimacy of the results that was eventually decided in favor of Bush by the U.S. Supreme Court. Gore and Lieberman received more popular votes, but were defeated 271 to 266 in the Electoral College. Hillary Clinton was elected as senator from New York on November 8, 2000.