Mary Lazich (born October 3, 1952) is an American Republican politician. She served five years in the Wisconsin State Assembly and 19 years in the State Senate, and was President of the Senate for her final session (2015–2016).

Mary Lazich
Lazich in 2009
President of the Wisconsin Senate
In office
January 5, 2015 – January 3, 2017
Preceded byMichael Ellis
Succeeded byRoger Roth
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 28th district
In office
April 20, 1998 – January 2, 2017
Preceded byLynn Adelman
Succeeded byDave Craig
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 84th district
In office
January 4, 1993 – April 20, 1998
Preceded byMarc C. Duff
Succeeded byMark Gundrum
Personal details
Born (1952-10-03) October 3, 1952 (age 72)
Loyal, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Early life

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Born in Loyal, Wisconsin, she graduated from Loyal High School and went on to earn her bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, graduating summa cum laude.[1] She was a New Berlin city councilmember from 1986 through 1992, and a Waukesha County supervisor from 1990 through 1993.[1]

Legislative career

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In the Senate, Lazich represented the 28th District since winning a special election in April 1998. She was elected as president of the Wisconsin Senate in January 2015, the first female ever elected to that position. She was previously a member of the Wisconsin Assembly from 1992 through 1998.

In 2004, Lazich was criticized for lying about her vote for Senate Majority Leader.[2]

On March 21, 2016, Lazich announced that she would not run for re-election in 2016.[3]

2011 recall attempt

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Senator Lazich was one of several Wisconsin state senators who faced a recall campaign in 2011 and 2012 due to her support for Governor Scott Walker's "budget repair bill", which removed collective bargaining rights from public employees.[4] However, the recall attempt failed to get enough signatures to be put on the ballot.[5]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin State Senate District 28 election, 2000[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mary Lazich 61,366 67.48%
Democratic Kathleen S. Arciszewski 29,519 32.46%
Scattering 60 .06%
Wisconsin State Senate District 28 election, 2004[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mary Lazich 73,899 99.27%
Scattering 544 .73%
Wisconsin State Senate District 28 election, 2008[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mary Lazich 74,951 99.24%
Scattering 571 .76%
Wisconsin State Senate District 28 election, 2012[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mary Lazich 60,854 63.4%
Democratic Jim Ward 35,053 36.5%
Scattering 103 .1%

References

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  1. ^ a b "Lazich, Mary A. 1952". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  2. ^ Masse, Ryan (November 16, 2004). "Senator admits to lying about vote". The Badger Herald. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  3. ^ White, Laurel (March 21, 2016). "Wisconsin Senate President Mary Lazich Won't Seek Re-Election". Wisconsin Public Radio News.
  4. ^ "Committee to Recall Lazich". Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. March 9, 2011. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ Tolan, Tom (May 2, 2011). "Grothman, Lazich recall efforts fall short on signatures". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  6. ^ "Fall General Election – 11/07/2000; State Senate, District No. 28". Wisconsin State Elections Board. November 30, 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  7. ^ "Fall General Election – 11/02/2004; State Senate, District No. 28". Wisconsin State Elections Board. December 1, 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  8. ^ "Fall General Election – 11/04/2008; State Senate, District No. 28". Wisconsin State Elections Board. November 24, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 20, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  9. ^ "Fall General Election – 11/06/2012; State Senate, District No. 28" (PDF). Ballotpedia. November 30, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
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Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 84th district
January 4, 1993 – April 20, 1998
Succeeded by
Wisconsin Senate
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 28th district
April 20, 1998 – January 2, 2017
Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Wisconsin Senate
January 5, 2015 – January 3, 2017
Succeeded by