Upon Lieberman's announcement, independent polls continued to show him favored to win a plurality or outright majority of the vote in a three-way general election (see below). The petition issue led to charges against the Lieberman campaign of political opportunism and lack of respect for the political process. Lieberman received strong support from many prominent conservative pundits and publications. "most vocal support came from places like The "Weekly Standard", "National Review", and "Commentary Magazine"; Sean Hannity, Bill Kristol and right-wing radio hosts cheered for his victory." Thus, "Lieberman was able to run in the general election as the "de facto" Republican candidate — every major Republican office-holder in the state endorsed him — and to supplement that GOP base with strong support from independents."