When an Ivy League-educated billion-heir makes the U.S. Senate his first run for public office, even if he doesn’t get out of the primary, you pay attention to what he does next.
For Alex Lasry, who had hoped to unseat Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, it’s going all in to elect fellow Democrats – from Stevens Point to the White House.
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Since leaving the Milwaukee Bucks early this year, Lasry created a political action committee to elect local government officials in Wisconsin and took two posts with national Democratic organizations. Lasry says he has no electoral plans of his own but is open to anything from Senate to Milwaukee alderman.
“If there’s an opportunity to serve and if that means putting my name back on the ballot, I’ll be open and will always take a look at that,” he says. “But I’ve always found that if you try to plan your political future and think about it like a chess board, you’re thinking about it incorrectly. If you like to be involved, be involved – do it because you want to make a difference and the chips will fall where they fall.”
Lasry, 36, lives in a mansion near Bradford Beach with his wife, Lauren Lasry, chief of staff at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, and their 2-year-old daughter; they’re also expecting a second child. He spent $14 million of his own money on his Senate campaign but ended his bid before the primary. Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes won the Democratic nomination but lost to Johnson in November.
At the time, Lasry was an executive with the Bucks, which was co-owned by his father, billionaire hedge fund manager Marc Lasry. In February, Marc Lasry agreed to sell his share, prompting Alex Lasry to depart as well.
The same month, Alex Lasry announced the formation of Next Wisconsin to elect local government officials. The Milwaukee-based PAC helped the mayors of Stevens Point, Green Bay and Racine win re-election.
In April, the Democratic Governors Association made Lasry one of its two volunteer co-treasurers. In June, Wisconsin Democratic Party members elected Lasry as Wisconsin’s representative on the Democratic National Committee. And in August, Lasry hosted Vice President Kamala Harris at his home for a fundraiser for President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign.
Besides the political work, Lasry fills his days “No. 1, making sure I’m fulfilling my dad duties.” He also helps his father with a sports investment fund launched in May. The Avenue Sports Fund intends to invest money into women’s sports teams in the U.S., basketball teams in Africa and other sports teams in Asia.
Former Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Mike Tate, a senior adviser on Lasry’s campaign, said Lasry showed “a curiosity and an inquisitiveness and an ability to relate to other people.”
“I hope he runs again,” Tate says. “So much of running is being in the right place at the right time.”
