Welcome, I'm Anastasia Glova bringing you the Cato Daily Podcast.

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In Tuesday's Connecticut primary, sitting Senator Joseph Lieberman lost the Democratic

nomination for the Senate seat to Ned Lamont, previously unknown in his party and his

state.

In today's podcast, we'll talk to Cato President Edward Crane about how Lamont managed

to wrangle the Democratic nomination from an incumbent senator and what this means for election

reform.

How did a political unknown like Ned Lamont defeat a three-term political incumbent in the Connecticut primary?

Lamont won because he was able to enfranchise the tens of thousands of Democrats in Connecticut

who were strongly or are strongly against the war in Iraq.

How was he able to do that because he's a wealthy

multi-millionaire who spent his own money? More than 60% of the money he spent in

that campaign was his own money. And I think that raises a very interesting question.

I mean, Lamont was not a good candidate.

He's not articulate, he's got zero charisma, and yet because he was right on the issues from the standpoint of Connecticut

Democrats he was able to win and why aren't more incumbents knocked out and the

reason is the the campaign finance laws.

There are contribution limits for federal candidates of just over $2,000 and I think no observer

of the Lamont Lieberman race would have given a challenger to Lieberman

a snowball's chance in hell of winning had they been subjected to the $2,000 limit.

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