Rick Lazio
A moderate Republican congressman from Long Island who rose to national prominence as Hillary Clinton's first major political opponent.
Born 1958 (age 68)·American politician·Birthday: March 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Rick Lazio lost the most expensive Senate race in history up to that point. A former prosecutor from New York's 2nd district, he served four terms in the U.S. House as a pragmatic, centrist Republican focused on banking and housing policy. In 2000, he became the GOP nominee for the open New York Senate seat, facing First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. The race drew national scrutiny and record spending. During a debate, Lazio approached Clinton and demanded she sign a pledge on soft-money campaign finance. That moment became the defining image of his campaign. He lost the election. But the contest itself became a milestone in Clinton's political evolution, and Lazio's role in that story outlasted his defeat.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Rick was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Rick's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served four consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 2nd congressional district (1993–2001).
- Was the principal House sponsor of the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998, a major public housing reform bill.
- Secured the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in New York in 2000, losing to Hillary Clinton in the general election.
Did You Know?
He was a member of the House committee that drafted the articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton.
After politics, he became a lobbyist and later the president of the Financial Services Forum, a banking industry group.
He was the first Republican in decades to represent his Long Island congressional district when he was first elected.
“A strong housing market is the cornerstone of a strong community.”
