WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 — Two months after a tumultuous Senate primary that was hailed as a watershed moment in American politics, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut appears to be comfortably ahead of his challenger Ned Lamont in their general election rematch.
Democrats here are convinced that Mr. Lieberman stands a good chance of returning to the Senate as an independent, and many have reassured him that he will not be stripped of his seniority if he wins, according to people in several Senate offices, who were granted anonymity to speak of the sensitive situation amid an intense political climate.
Here’s one scenario: the Democrats win control of the Senate by a slim margin. Lieberman wins re-election, thanks in part to timid Democrats who are afraid to campaign against him. He then switches parties as a final “fuck you” to the party whose values he so clearly despises, handing control of the Senate right back over to the Republicans, and leaving the Democrats who promised him he could retain his seniority standing there like the chumps they are.
The Democrats have a nominee in this state. They should support him.