Some Democrats Back Lieberman As Lamont Sags

The Democratic nominee for Senate from Connecticut, Ned Lamont, is injecting more of his own fortune into the campaign as the incumbent, Senator Lieberman, tries to showcase his support within the Democratic Party.

Earlier this week, Mr. Lamont ponied up another $750,000 for his campaign, bringing his total personal contribution to $2.25 million, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission.

A poll released yesterday by Quinnipiac University found Mr. Lieberman leading Mr. Lamont, 49% to 39%, among likely voters. However, another survey, conducted by Zogby Interactive, showed a virtual dead heat, with 46% of voters backing Mr. Lieberman and 44% favoring Mr. Lamont.

In the Democratic primary last month, Mr. Lamont, who is a telecommunications entrepreneur and political newcomer, rode a wave of anti-war sentiment to defeat Mr. Lieberman by a 4% margin.The three-term senator and Democratic nominee for vice president in 2000 opted to continue his campaign as an independent candidate, although he said he plans to caucus with the Democrats if he is re-elected.

The Quinnipiac poll indicated that Mr. Lamont has not managed to win over independent or Republican voters and has majority support only from Democrats.

"Ned Lamont has lost momentum," the poll's director, Douglas Schwartz, said. "He's going to have to do something different in the next six weeks or Senator Joseph Lieberman stays for another six years."

Mr. Lieberman's campaign sought to underscore his Democratic credentials yesterday by announcing a coalition of prominent Democrats who remain in his camp. They include six former senators, including David Boren of Oklahoma, John Breaux of Louisiana, and Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, as well as dozens of former members of Congress and senior officials from the Clinton administration.

"Joe is a very, very strong and solid Democrat," a former congressman of New Hampshire, Norman D'Amours, said in a conference call with reporters.

"He votes 90% of the time with Democrats," another former congressman, Mel Levine of California, added. He said Mr. Lieberman's record is comparable to that of the minority leader, Senator Reid.

A top adviser to Mr. Lamont, Thomas D'Amore Jr., noted that almost everyone listed as a member of "Dems for Joe" was from outside Connecticut. "I'm sure they're all nice folks, his friends from Washington, but what do they have to do with a Senate race in Connecticut?" Mr. D'Amore said.

While many former Democratic officials are backing Mr. Lieberman, current officeholders, including the major contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, have fallen in behind Mr. Lamont.

Last month, Senator Clinton agreed to have one of her top strategists, Howard Wolfson, advise the political novice. Just yesterday, a former Virginia governor also considering a White House bid, Mark Warner, sent an e-mail message to his supporters urging that they help Mr. Lamont prevail in November. Senator Kerry of Massachusetts, who won the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and may try again in 2008, is scheduled to visit Connecticut next month to campaign for Mr. Lamont.

Many of the potential Democratic presidential candidates are eager to tap into Mr. Lamont's strong national following among the army of liberal online activists known as the netroots.