MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Senate President Mary Lazich abruptly announced Monday she won’t run for re-election this fall, bringing an end to a 24-year career in the Legislature.

In a statement announcing that she won’t seek another term, the New Berlin Republican did not offer an explanation for her decision. A message left at her Capitol office wasn’t immediately returned. A message left at Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald’s office also wasn’t immediately returned. An aide said he was traveling.

Republicans control the Senate 19-14. Sen. Rick Gudex, R-Fond du Lac, announced in November that he won’t seek re-election, saying he plans to return to a private sector job. Democrats are targeting that open seat, but they’ll have an uphill fight to take Lazich’s seat; her district includes portions of Waukesha, Racine and Walworth counties and leans heavily conservative.

Reps. David Craig of Big Bend, Mike Kuglitsch of New Berlin and Ken Skowronski of Franklin, all Republicans, represent the area in the Assembly.

Craig said Monday he plans to run for Lazich’s seat. Kuglitsch said Craig is a friend and he has no plans to challenge him. Emails sent to Skowronski’s offices and aides on Monday weren’t immediately returned.

Kuglitsch aide Matt Spencer says Kuglitsch told him he didn’t see Lazich’s retirement coming and running for Senate wasn’t in his plans at the moment.

The 63-year-old Lazich was first elected to the Assembly in 1992. She resigned from that body in 1998 when she won a special Senate election.

She has served in that chamber ever since. She has served several stints on the Legislature’s powerful budget committee over the years and worked as the Senate’s president during the 2016-16 session. Perhaps the highest-profile bill she sponsored during the session was a measure banning non-emergency abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Gov. Scott Walker signed the bill in July.

In 2013 she authored a bill that would have required abortion providers to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. Walker signed that measure into law but a federal appeals court ruled last year that the requirement was unconstitutional.

In her statement, she thanked her family and constituents for supporting her during her campaigns.

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Follow Todd Richmond on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trichmond1.

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