"We need someone who's going to focus on shaking things up in a good way, not the way that the crazy man in the Oval Office is doing it," Lieberman told POLITICO.

Lieberman said his father — who left the Senate in 2013 after serving four terms, the final one as an independent caucusing with Democrats — encouraged him to run but also sent him a "lengthy text of parental anxiety" when he realized his son was serious about the prospect. Lieberman said his father will serve as a "consigliere" for his campaign after he convinced him he was prepared for the rigors of a statewide run for office.

"He's now back to excited, and I would say his competitive juices are flowing a little bit," Lieberman said.

He added that he would start with a name identification advantage, thanks to his father, and said he didn't think it would be difficult for him to get Georgia voters to look past the last name and assess his own merits as a candidate.

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"I think one of the greatest challenges for any candidate is just to get anyone to pay attention, to get anyone to take a look at all," he said. "The fact that my last name will probably ring a bell for a good percentage of Georgia voters is a good thing."

In a video launching his bid, Lieberman featured his two daughters questioning his reasons for running. The video also focused on the issues of supporting abortion rights and Roe v. Wade; gun control, including universal background checks and an assault weapons ban; and his pledge not to take money from corporate PACs. He also referenced voting rights, pointing to Democrat Stacey Abrams' narrow loss to Kemp in the 2018 gubernatorial race — and the 2000 election, when his father was then-Vice President Al Gore's running mate, and the Democratic ticket won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College.

Lieberman had previously expressed interest in running against first-term Republican Sen. David Perdue, but four other Democrats are already running in a primary for that seat. He said running for Isakson's soon-to-be-vacated seat would give him 13 months to campaign and also allow him to focus his bid against Republicans. Still, several other Democrats are weighing bids for the special election, and Lieberman is likely to be in a crowded field. The November 2020 election will be a "jungle primary" and the top two candidates will go to a runoff in January if no one receives a majority of the votes.

Kemp has not yet decided whom he will appoint to replace Isakson. He has been accepting résumés from interested applicants via an online portal and publicly releasing those who apply. Several major names, including Rep. Doug Collins, former Rep. Paul Broun and Tom Price, a former congressman and Cabinet secretary, have applied for the post.