Shaking up 2012: US senators who aren't running for reelection

With the 2012 campaigns not far off, the departures of these incumbents are shaking things up. Here's how.

8. Joe Lieberman (I) of Connecticut

Craig Ruttle / AP
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, (I) of Conn., smiles as he announces that he has decided to retire and not seek a fifth term, Jan. 19 in Stamford, Conn. From left are Lieberman's wife, Hadassah, granddaughter Maddy Wisse, and daughters Rebecca Lieberman-Wisse and Tennessee Lieberman.

Senator Lieberman, who changed his affiliation from Democratic to Independent in 2006, insisted that his retirement is not because a 2012 victory would have been difficult to pull off.

“I have run many difficult campaigns before, from my first one in 1970 against the incumbent Democratic state Senate majority leader, to my 1988 campaign against the incumbent Republican US senator, to my campaign for reelection to the Senate in 2006 at the height of the controversy over the Iraq war,” Lieberman said on Jan. 19, when announcing his future retirement.

Lieberman has served in the Senate since 1988. His absence could be a potential blow to Democrats, with whom he caucuses.

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