Former US Senator Joe Lieberman dies at the age of 82

 Joe Lieberman, Al Gore's running partner in the closely contested 2000 presidential race, died at the age of 82 after complications from a fall.

On Tuesday afternoon, United States media reported his death, citing a family statement.

Lieberman, one of the few high-profile independents in US politics, largely caucused with the Democratic Party throughout his four terms as senator from Connecticut.

But he identified as a centrist, and near the conclusion of his career, he adopted the No Labels movement, an organisation that rejects the traditional two-party system in favour of "common ground".

Lieberman, on the other hand, was on the Democratic presidential ticket in 2000, when Al Gore, then-vice president under Bill Clinton, ran for the presidency.

When Gore chose Lieberman as his vice presidential candidate, he became the first Jewish running mate to represent a major political party in the general election.

The decision also propelled Lieberman into one of the most contentious presidential campaigns in recent memory. The Gore-Lieberman ticket won the popular vote, but lost the important Electoral College, the criteria used in the United States to determine who wins the presidency.

Instead, Republican George W. Bush won the election after the US Supreme Court voted to stop a recount effort in Florida, a key swing state. Bush and Gore were separated by an estimated 537 votes in the state.

Lieberman's career in national politics ended in 2013, when he announced his retirement. For years, he had been chastised for his aggressive stance to the US's war in Iraq.

He has, nevertheless, continued to wield power as a political lobbyist, lawyer, and advocate for organisations such as No Label.

Senate Career:

Lieberman began his national political career in 1988, winning his first US Senate election on an unorthodox ticket. He campaigned as a Democrat, but received support from renowned conservatives such as columnist William F Buckley Jr.

A New York Times piece that year highlighted the amazement of the odd-couple pairing: "Buckleys Are Backing A Democrat?"

However, the alliance proved profitable. Lieberman, a former state senator, narrowly defeated three-time incumbent Republican Lowell Weicker Jr., who was widely regarded as the front-runner.

Once in office, Lieberman continued to work on both sides of the aisle. In 1990, for example, he secured bipartisan support for measures that strengthened the Clean Air Act.

He also supported measures to limit violence in video games, promising to create a government grading system for the sector if it did not do so already.

"Few parents would buy these games for their children if they knew what was in them," Lieberman told journalists in 1993.

His activism helped to establish the Entertainment Software Rating Board, a self-regulating arm of the game industry.

It was one of several efforts Lieberman made in his quest to represent the moral high ground in American cultural debate.

Another example occurred in 1998, when then-President Clinton became embroiled in long-running sexual assault charges and questions of wrongdoing.

As information regarding Clinton's adulterous relationship with White House staffer Monica Lewinsky became public, Lieberman delivered a high-profile statement condemning the president on the Senate floor. He is sometimes cited as the first major Democrat to publicly criticise Clinton's actions.

"Such behaviour is not only inappropriate," Lieberman stated about Clinton. "It is immoral, and it is harmful."

He eventually voted with his fellow Democrats in Clinton's Senate trial, deciding not to remove the president from office.