Rick Lazio
Rick Lazio | |
|---|---|
| Born | Enrico Anthony Lazio March 13, 1958 Amityville, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, politician |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Known for | U.S. Representative for New York's 2nd congressional district (1993–2001); 2000 U.S. Senate candidate; 2010 New York gubernatorial candidate |
Enrico Anthony Lazio (; born March 13, 1958) is an American lawyer and former four-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing New York. Originating from Long Island, Lazio rose to national attention during his 2000 campaign for the U.S. Senate, where he was ultimately defeated by Hillary Rodham Clinton. He also pursued the New York State Republican nomination for governor in 2010 but did not succeed.
Early life, education and career
Born in Amityville, New York, Suffolk County on Long Island, Lazio is the son of Olive (née Christensen) and Anthony Lazio, who operated an automotive parts business. His paternal heritage is Italian, while his maternal grandparents immigrated from Denmark. He completed his secondary education at West Islip High School in 1976, earned an A.B. degree from Vassar College, and later received a Juris Doctor from the Washington College of Law at American University.
Prior to his congressional service, Lazio worked as the executive assistant district attorney for Suffolk County in 1987 and served on the Suffolk County Legislature between 1990 and 1993.
U.S. Representative
Lazio served as a Republican congressman for New York's 2nd congressional district, first winning election in 1992 by unseating incumbent Thomas Downey. His tenure lasted four terms, spanning from 1993 to 2001.
During his time in Congress, he held several leadership positions including Deputy Majority Whip, Assistant Majority Leader, and Chair of the House Banking Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity. Known as a prominent moderate within a predominantly conservative leadership, Lazio concentrated much of his legislative efforts on housing policy.
He also championed the posthumous awarding of the Congressional Medal of Honor to President Theodore Roosevelt for his actions during the Spanish–American War. This initiative culminated in legislation that led to President Clinton presenting the medal in 2001.
2000 U.S. Senate campaign
In the year 2000, Lazio entered the contest for New York’s U.S. Senate seat after Mayor Rudolph Giuliani withdrew from the race. He announced his candidacy simultaneously on all five major Sunday morning talk shows, becoming only the second individual to achieve what is known as a Full Ginsburg.
The contest between Lazio and Clinton became the most costly Senate race up to that point.
A memorable incident during a September debate involved Lazio approaching Clinton to place a campaign pledge directly before her—a gesture widely perceived as confrontational and harmful to his public image. Although intended to emphasize concerns about campaign finance, Lazio later admitted this approach was a tactical mistake.
On November 7, 2000, Lazio was defeated by Clinton with a final vote tally of 43% to her 55%.
2010 New York gubernatorial campaign
On September 22, 2009, in Albany, Lazio declared his intention to run for governor of New York. He secured the endorsement of the New York State Republican Party on June 2, 2010. Despite this support, Carl Paladino, who was backed by the Tea Party movement, won the Republican primary by a significant margin on September 14, 2010. Although Lazio had also captured the Conservative Party's nomination, he chose to exit the race on September 27 after accepting a nominal judicial nomination in the Bronx, a position he did not anticipate winning.
Career outside politics
Following his defeat in the 2000 U.S. Senate race, Lazio took on the role of CEO at the Financial Services Forum and subsequently served as managing director for global real assets at JPMorgan. By 2017, he was heading the housing finance practice group at the law firm Jones Walker LLP.
Personal life
Lazio married Patricia Moriarty, a nurse, in 1989. The couple has two children.
External links
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- 1958 births
- 20th-century New York (state) politicians
- 21st-century New York (state) politicians
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- Conservative Party of New York State politicians
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- Living people
- People from Amityville, New York
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)
- Vassar College alumni
- Washington College of Law alumni
- American people of Italian descent
- Members of Congress who became lobbyists
- 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
- JPMorgan Chase people