Enrico Anthony Lazio (; born March 13, 1958) is an American attorney and former four-term
U.S. Representative from the
State of New York. A Long Island native, Lazio became well-known during his bid for
U.S. Senate in
New York's 2000 Senate election; he was defeated by
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
. Lazio also ran unsuccessfully for the 2010
New York State
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...
Republican Party gubernatorial nomination.
Early life, education and career
Lazio was born in
Amityville, New York
Amityville () is a village near the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York. The population was 9,523 at the 2010 census.
History
Huntington settlers first visited the Amityville area in 1653 du ...
, in
Suffolk County, on Long Island. He is the son of Olive (née Christensen) and Anthony Lazio, who owned an automotive parts store. His father was of Italian descent and his maternal grandparents were Danish immigrants. He graduated from
West Islip High School
West Islip High School is a public high school in the town of West Islip, in Suffolk County, New York on the South Shore of Long Island. It is part of the West Islip Union Free School District.
Curriculum
The curriculum at West Islip High S ...
in 1976. He received his A.B. from
Vassar College
Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...
and received his
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...
from the
Washington College of Law at
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was cha ...
.
Prior to being elected to Congress, Lazio was appointed executive assistant district attorney for Suffolk County in 1987 and served in the Suffolk County Legislature from 1990 to 1993.
U.S. Representative
Lazio represented
New York's 2nd congressional district as a Republican. He was first elected in 1992, defeating the incumbent,
Thomas Downey
Thomas Joseph Downey (born January 28, 1949) is an American attorney, lobbyist and former politician who served as a U.S. Representative for New York's 2nd congressional district from 1975 to 1993.
Early life and education
Downey was born in Qu ...
, who had served for eighteen years. Lazio served four terms from 1993 to 2001.
In Congress, Lazio served as Deputy Majority
Whip
A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally ...
, Assistant Majority Leader, and Chairman of the
House Banking Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity. He was "widely viewed as the most influential moderate in a leadership dominated by conservatives." From his earliest days in Congress, Lazio made housing one of his primary issues. As leader of the housing subcommittee, he drafted the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998.
When President Clinton signed it into law, he said that it "made landmark housing reform a reality."
During his time in Congress, Lazio championed the case to award a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor to President Theodore Roosevelt for his charge up San Juan Hill in the Spanish–American War. Congress eventually passed legislation asking the president to grant the honor, and President Clinton awarded the medal in January 2001.
2000 U.S. Senate campaign
In 2000, Lazio ran for the U.S. Senate from
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
against
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
in the race to succeed
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (March 16, 1927 – March 26, 2003) was an American politician, diplomat and sociologist. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented New York in the United States Senate from 1977 until 2001 and served as a ...
. His comparatively late entry into the race (five months before
Election Day
Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections ...
) followed New York City
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
Rudolph Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis Giuliani (, ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 107th Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney General from 1981 to 198 ...
's decision to withdraw from the Senate race. Lazio announced his candidacy for Senate on all five major
Sunday morning talk shows
A Sunday morning talk show is a television program with a news/ talk/ public affairs–hybrid format that is broadcast on Sunday mornings. This type of program originated in the United States, and has since been used in other countries.
Overview
T ...
on the same day, making him the second person ever to complete a
Full Ginsburg
The "full Ginsburg" is a term used in American politics to refer to a person who appears on all five United States, American major Sunday morning talk shows on the same day: ''This Week (ABC TV series), This Week'' on American Broadcasting Company ...
.
At the time, the race between Lazio and Hillary Clinton was the most expensive Senate campaign ever conducted.
During a September 13, 2000 debate in Buffalo, Lazio walked across the stage to Clinton and placed a campaign pledge in front of her. That action was "perceived as bullying and chauvinistic", and it made Lazio into "an example of what not to do during a debate with a female opponent". In 2008, Lazio commented: "'At the time, I was making a point about a campaign finance pledge that Mrs. Clinton had made and I didn't feel that it was being honored. I thought that was the opportunity to make the point. On substance, it was right - and on style and perception, it was a mistake, which I regret'".
On November 7, 2000, Lazio lost the Senate race to Clinton by a margin of 55%-43%.
2010 New York gubernatorial campaign
Lazio announced his candidacy for governor of New York on September 22, 2009 in
Albany.
On June 2, 2010, Lazio received the New York State Republican Party's designation to run for governor. However,
Carl Paladino, a candidate backed by the Tea Party movement, petitioned his way onto the ballot and soundly defeated Lazio in the Republican gubernatorial primary on September 14, 2010.
On September 27, Lazio, who had won the Conservative Party primary, confirmed that he would drop his bid for Governor by accepting a
paper candidate
In a representative democracy, a paper candidate (also known as a no-hope candidate) is a candidate who stands for a political party in an electoral division where the party in question enjoys only low levels of support. Although the candidate ...
nomination for a judicial position in the Bronx he did not expect to win.
Career outside politics
Following his loss in the 2000 U.S. Senate election, Lazio became CEO of the
Financial Services Forum
The Financial Services Forum is an American, non-partisan economic policy and advocacy organization whose members are the chief executive officers of the eight largest and most diversified financial institutions headquartered in the United Stat ...
. Later, he became the managing director of global real assets for
JPMorgan.
As of 2017, Lazio led the housing finance practice group of Jones Walker LLP.
Electoral history
Personal life
In 1989, Lazio married nurse Patricia Moriarty. They have two children.
References
External links
Ignite with Rick Lazio*
*
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, -
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lazio, Rick
1958 births
American prosecutors
Conservative Party of New York State politicians
County legislators in New York (state)
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