Rick Lazio - 2000 U.S. Senate Campaign

2000 U.S. Senate Campaign

In 2000, Lazio ran for the Senate but was defeated by Hillary Clinton in the race to succeed Daniel Patrick Moynihan. His comparatively late entry into the race (five months before Election Day) followed New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's decision to withdraw from the Senate race.

Lazio was dogged during the senatorial campaign with questioning by the SEC into his stock option transactions (e.g., Quick & Reilly, Monsanto, U.S. Filter). After Lazio responded to the inquiry, the SEC took no further action. (Lazio in Congress was the leading advocate for the 1999 repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act.)

A decisive moment that was detrimental to his campaign came during a September 13, 2000 debate when he left his podium, walked over to Clinton with a piece of paper that he called the "New York Freedom From Soft Money Pledge" and demanded she sign it. Clinton refused. Some debate viewers were turned off by Lazio's demeanor towards Clinton – and as a result, Clinton's support among women voters solidified.

Lazio has since expressed regret for his conduct, widely regarded as "bullying and chauvinistic", during the debate:

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.

Lazio gave up his House seat to run for Senate. Following his defeat, which set a record for the most money spent in a losing Senate effort, he took positions in the corporate world and avoided electoral politics for a decade. He has worked for several years as JPMorgan’s director of global real assets.