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).

Early life

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. She was a New Berlin city councilmember from 1986 through 1992, and a Waukesha County supervisor from 1990 through 1993.

Legislative career

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

2011 recall attempt

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. However, the recall attempt failed to get enough signatures to be put on the ballot.

Electoral history