Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) weighed in on the Nebraska Senate race today, with respective endorsements of GOP hopeful Deb Fischer and former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D).

“I’m proud to support Deb Fischer in this important election for U.S. Senate,” McCain said in a release on Fischer’s campaign website. “She has the character and commitment to change Washington.”

“She will work to eliminate wasteful spending, balance the budget, and grow the private sector economy,” McCain’s statement continued. “Facing an ever-growing debt, we need fiscally conservative leadership like Deb’s in the U.S. Senate to get our nation back on the right track.”

Fischer’s campaign identified McCain as “universally respected as a bipartisan leader and a maverick.”

McCain was the 2008 Republican presidential nominee and is the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“I greatly admire Senator McCain, and it’s an honor to have his support in this campaign,” Fischer said. “I am looking forward to working with John McCain and reaching across the aisle to address the tremendous challenges confronting our nation.”

Fischer was ahead by 16 points in the most recent poll, conducted last month by the Omaha World-Herald. Roll Call rates this race as Likely Republican.

Looking to jumpstart his campaign, Kerrey, a former Senator and Nebraska governor, touted the endorsement from Lieberman, who made a video which is featured on Kerrey’s campaign website.

In the video, Lieberman says he plans to travel to Nebraska later this month to campaign with Kerrey.

Lieberman plans to “urge everyone I can to give him your support to send Bob Kerrey back to the United States Senate,” Lieberman says in the video. “I served with Bob here for years, he became one of my best friends, but it is not just out of friendship that I am coming to help him. The Senate needs Bob Kerrey because he is an independent thinker who always works across party lines to get things done. And that will mean great things for Nebraska and for our country.”

Lieberman is an Independent, but he typically votes with Democrats. He changed his affiliation after he lost the 2006 Democratic primary to retain his Senate seat. He won the general election, defeating both the GOP and Democratic candidates.

Lieberman is close to McCain and endorsed his 2008 presidential bid. He was also Al Gore’s vice presidential running mate in his bid for the presidency in 2000.