In 2006, when U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman ran as an independent for the U.S. Senate and won, his ballot title was “Connecticut for Lieberman Party”. Connecticut election law says that if a group polls at least 1% for any partisan office, it is then automatically on the November ballot for that same office in the next election.

Senator Lieberman wasn’t interested in the political party that his 2006 showing created, but some of his political opponents organized the party, and started running for partisan office under that party’s label. In 2010, the party’s nominee for U.S. Senate, John Mertens, did not poll as much as 1%, so the party ceased to be ballot-qualified for U.S. Senate. However, also in 2010, the party had six nominees for State House, and all of them polled more than 1%, so the party continues to be ballot-qualified in those six districts for 2012. Because Senator Lieberman is not running for re-election in 2012, it may be that the people involved in the Connecticut for Lieberman Party will lose interest in their party. But, one never knows, and it will be interesting to see if the party continues to exist.