Lieberman Gives a Boost to McCain

Senator McCain will look to Senator Lieberman's endorsement today in New Hampshire to win the support of independents, a key demographic in the Granite State, where voters can select a Democratic or Republican ballot on Election Day.

News of backing for the Republican from Arizona by Connecticut's self-described "Independent Democrat" comes on the heels of a series of positive developments that have breathed new life into Mr. McCain's campaign. The former Vietnam prisoner of war yesterday won the endorsements of the Boston Globe, the Des Moines Register, and the Portsmouth Herald, adding them to the support he already had from the Manchester Union-Leader. Two recent polls in New Hampshire, Fox News and Rasmussen, had Mr. McCain in second place, trailing Mitt Romney, who served as governor of Massachusetts, which borders the Granite State.

At the endorsement, Mr. Lieberman is expected to stress the national security credentials of Mr. McCain, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the top Republican on the Senate Committee on Armed Services. The two senators traveled together to Iraq during Thanksgiving, and it was on that trip that Mr. McCain asked his colleague for the endorsement. The senators, who lead America's delegation to the annual Conference on Security Policy in Munich, have been strong proponents of American victory in Iraq and have warned of the danger of a nuclear Iran.

Both men have also found themselves at times at odds with the orthodoxy of their respective parties. For Mr. McCain, this maverick quality helped him win New Hampshire's primary in 2000, in large part thanks to the backing of independent voters; for Mr. Lieberman this contributed to him winning his seat to the Senate as an independent after losing to Ned Lamont in the Nutmeg State's Democratic primary in 2006. Receiving the endorsement of Mr. Lieberman, a New Englander who has consistently stressed the importance of the center in American political life, could help reinforce Mr. McCain's bipartisan appeal.

"It's a nice win for McCain," a consultant to Mr. McCain in 2000, Michael Murphy, said. "The key to the New Hampshire primary could well be the independents."

Mr. Murphy, who as a former campaign consultant to both Mr. McCain and Mr. Romney is neutral in the race, said Mr. McCain would compete with Senator Obama for the support of independent voters. In 2000, Mr. McCain attracted the support of unaffiliated voters in New Hampshire at the expense of Bill Bradley, who was battling Vice President Gore for the Democratic nomination. "It could be between Obama and McCain," Mr. Murphy said of the contest for independents in New Hampshire.

During that election cycle, Mr. Gore won the support of traditional Democrats. If large numbers of independent voters opted to participate in the Republican primary as they did in 2000, Senator Clinton, could benefit in 2008 as Mr. Gore did in 2000.

A former consultant to Mr. Bradley, Michael Goldman, said Mr. Lieberman's endorsement had to be viewed with perspective. While he credited Mr. McCain with putting together a string of positive endorsements, he cautioned against reading too much significance into the announcement. "Is Lieberman's going with him really going to change anything?" asked Mr. Goldman, a senior consultant with the Government Insight Group. He did, however, praise Mr. McCain for exclusively concentrating on New Hampshire at the expense of Iowa, in contrast to Mr. Bradley who devoted key time and energy to Iowa when he appeared to be cresting in New Hampshire.

"It's very smart for him to leave Iowa to Romney and Huckabee and for him to be the other independent candidate, who appeals to independents and Democrats who vote Republican," Mr. Goldman said.

Mr. McCain will travel on a bus tour today and tomorrow throughout New Hampshire, while Mr. Romney and Mayor Giuliani will campaign elsewhere in the state.

Later this week, Mr. McCain is scheduled to highlight his national security credentials with a meeting in Boston featuring Henry Kissinger and a former director of central intelligence, James Woolsey.

Mr. Lieberman drew 9% of the ballots cast in the 2004 New Hampshire Democratic primary, nearly 19,000 votes, in a campaign in which the field included two other candidates from states neighboring New Hampshire, Senator Kerry of Massachusetts and Governor Dean of Vermont.