He is known as a Democrat who works across party lines to find common ground, who speaks his conscience, and who gets things done for his constituents and his country.

That reputation is based on a diverse and distinguished record:

Lieberman is a respected leader on reforming and modernizing our nation's defenses, a prominent voice on foreign policy issues, and an influential champion of international human rights. He is equally strong in his support for investing in our public schools and spurring bold education reform.

Lieberman is pro-business, pro-trade, and pro-economic growth. He is equally committed to protecting America’s workers, consumers, and environment.

Lieberman is a vocal advocate for campaign finance reform and restoring public confidence in the political process. And he is equally dedicated to strengthening America’s families and renewing our common values.

JOE LIEBERMAN was first elected to the Senate in 1988, scoring the nation’s biggest political upset that year by a margin of just 10,000 votes. Six years later, he made history by winning the biggest landslide victory ever in a Connecticut Senate race, drawing 67 percent of the vote and beating his opponent by more than 350,000 votes.

In endorsing his reelection in 1994, The New York Times wrote, "Congress would be a better place if more of his veteran colleagues were as good. In only one term he has influenced the course of federal legislation for the benefit of Connecticut and the nation."

Since then, Lieberman has received praise from an increasingly wide range of colleagues and commentators. The Day of New London wrote, “Senator Lieberman has elevated the debate beyond partisan interests.” The New York Post described him as “respected as a true man of integrity by Republicans and Democrats alike.”

And The Almanac of American Politics 1998 began its profile this way: “Joseph Lieberman in a decade in the Senate has exerted influence out of proportion to his seniority, committee position or political clout, an influence that came from respect for his independence of mind, civility of spirit and fidelity to causes in which he believes.”

Lieberman's accomplishments include:

Strengthening National Security

Securing funding to strengthen and modernize America’s military forces

Co-authoring the Gulf War Resolution;

Co-sponsoring the International Religious Freedom Act to promote the right to worship freely across the globe;

Rallying support in Congress to stop the genocidal slaughter in Bosnia and Kosovo.

Expanding Economic Growth

Fighting for a balanced budget and fiscal discipline to help lower interest rates and keep the economy growing;

Promoting new funding for research and development in science and technology, a key to our innovation-oriented economy;

Cutting capital gains taxes to spur new investment for American industries;

Creating new skills training initiatives for American workers;

Supporting the development of e-commerce, including a moratorium on Internet taxes.

Improving Education

Authoring landmark education reform legislation that would dramatically increase funding for disadvantaged students, give states and local districts greater flexibility in targeting their resources, set tough accountability standards to demand results, and provide more support for teachers;

Expanding educational options for parents by expanding funding for charter schools;

Increasing access to student loans and federal financial aid;

Creating education IRAs to help families save for college.

Protecting the Environment

Strengthening Clean Air standards and cracking down on illegal polluters;

Leading the fight against extreme "regulatory reform" legislation that would undercut our ability to protect natural resources, public health, and American families;

Fighting to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska from oil drilling;

Creating Connecticut’s first national park at Weir Farm;

Promoting national wildlife refuges along the Connecticut River and the Sound coastline;

Fighting lead poisoning, Lyme Disease, pesticide use in schools, and the spread of the deadly West Nile Virus.

Reforming Government

Writing the first major campaign finance law to pass in a generation, which closed a loophole that allowed political organizations to raise and spend money in secret;

Winning passage of the Congressional Accountability Act, which makes Congress live by the same laws it applies to the nation;

Exposing government waste, such as the federal contracts that paid 67 cents a page for photocopying services and $69 an hour for security guards;

Promoting “e-government” and improving federal services through the Internet.

Strengthening Communities

Co-sponsoring the Crime Bill and winning funding to put more cops on the beat in Connecticut;

Creating Enterprise Zones to stimulate investment and rebuild America's cities;

Supporting sweeping Welfare Reform bill and adding provisions to assist teenage mothers, discourage out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and help states that move welfare recipients into self-supporting jobs;

Helping low-income families save for the future and build economic security through Individual Development Accounts;

Fighting for common-sense gun safety laws.

Protecting Common Values

Co-authoring the V-chip law to give parents new tools to shield their children from offensive and harmful programs on television;

Pushing the video game industry to create a rating system to help parents make informed choices for their children;

Spurring new efforts to make the Internet safer for kids;

Raising awareness of the growing crisis of father absence and supporting grassroots efforts to promote responsible fatherhood;

Fighting discrimination in the workplace based on religion and sexual orientation.

Lieberman is also proud of his close connection to the people of Connecticut, which he maintains with his well-known visits to diners around the state. To date Lieberman has visited more than 100 local eateries, where his constituents have a cup of joe with Joe and Lieberman gets an unfiltered taste of their concerns and views.

Lieberman was born in Stamford, Connecticut on February 24, 1942, and attended public schools there. He received his bachelor's degree from Yale College in 1964 and his law degree from Yale Law School in 1967.

Lieberman was elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 1970 and served there for 10 years, including the last 6 as Majority Leader. From 1982 to 1988, he served as Connecticut's 21st Attorney General.

He is the author of five books: The Power Broker (1966), a biography of the late Democratic Party chairman, John M. Bailey; The Scorpion and the Tarantula (1970), a study of early efforts to control nuclear proliferation; The Legacy (1981), a history of Connecticut politics from 1930-1980; Child Support in America (1986), a guidebook on methods to increase the collection of child support from delinquent fathers, and In Praise of Public Life (2000), a spirited defense of public life that draws on personal experience.

In the U.S. Senate, Lieberman is a member of the powerful Armed Services Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Small Business Committee, and the Governmental Affairs Committee. In 1999, Lieberman became the ranking Democrat on the Governmental Affairs Committee.

Since 1995, Lieberman has been chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, which is “an idea center, catalyst, and national voice for a reform movement that is reshaping American politics by moving it beyond the old left-right debate.”

Lieberman lives in New Haven with his wife Hadassah. They are the parents of four children: Matthew, 32; Rebecca, 31; Ethan, 24; and Hana, 12. He also has two granddaughters, Tennessee and Willie.

“Sen. Joe Lieberman is an embodiment and an apostle of a Democratic philosophy that incorporates market-oriented thinking of the Reagan revolution and a muscular defense and foreign policy.” - columnist David Broder

“Strong on defense and tough on crime...a strong environmentalist and consumerist...Lieberman is quality goods.” - columnist Ben Wattenberg

“Lieberman ranks among the Senate's best”. -- The New Republic