Rick Lazio
A Republican public official of somewhat moderate bent, Rick Lazio
thrust himself into the national stage in 2000, with unsuccessful
results. A lifetime resident of Long Island, he planned on becoming a
prosecutor. After working in the Suffolk County District Attorney
office, he was persuaded to run for the elective office of the Suffolk
County Legislature in 1989 at the age of 31, though he looked far
younger. That campaign proved successful and became an effective and
personable member of that legislative body. By 1992, there was
considerable public displeasure at the United States Congress, which
were embroiled in a series of minor but well-publicized scandals. Local
Republicans approached Lazio about being a candidate, and he finally
agreed to run against Democratic Congressman
Thomas Downey, who had first
been elected in 1974. Downey had once been known as an idealistic
liberal, opposed to Congressional excesses. But by 1992, Downey himself
had gotten bad press, being embroiled in The House Bank Scandal,
missing votes, and having pictures of him frolicking on a beach at a
lavish resort broadcast on the news. Ironically, Downey had unseated
his predecessor at a very young age during the Watergate Scandal, and
the boyish-looking Lazio seemed in some ways like a Republican version
of Downey. Downey outspent Lazio by a vast margin, but Lazio won the
election by a 53% to 47% margin. In the U.S. House of Representatives,
Lazio occasionally broke with his party on some issues, but was never
considered a rebel. He served on the Banking Committee and quietly
worked on highly technical legislation, which didn't usually generate
publicity. He was reelected easily in 1994, 1996, and 1998, without
serious opposition. But in 2000, that changed. U.S. Senator
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
announced he would not seek reelection. It appeared that the race to
succeed him would be between First Lady
Hillary Clinton and New
York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
But Giuliani decided not to run, do to health problems and a messy
divorce. And after some hesitation, Lazio decided to run. The campaign
was hugely expensive and sometimes nasty, and appeared to be close.
Many say the key point in the campaign was during a televised debate,
when Lazio approached Clinton's podium and badgered her about signing a
campaign finance pledge. Many felt he appeared belligerent and rude. On
election day, Clinton defeated Lazio by a comfortable margin, more than
expected. Lazio went into private life after that, taking a job as
C.E.O. of the Financial Services Forum. In 2002, he was approached
about running for the House of Representatives again, but decided
against it. In 2006, he briefly considered running for state Attorney
General against incumbent Eliot Spitzer,
but quickly decided against it. Concentrating on his private career and
family, he seems to have no interest in seeking governmental office
again.