Lanese formerly worked as an attorney with the United States Department of Justice, an instructor at a community college and a graduate teaching and research assistant.
[1] A veteran of the Ohio Air National Guard and the US Army Reserve, Lanese first ran for office successfully at the local level, winning an At-Large seat on the Grove City City Council, and serving from 2013 to 2016.
[3] In 2016, Representative Cheryl Grossman was term-limited, and while competitive on paper, Republicans were favored to hold the seat.
Initially Mike Lanese opted to run, and won the Republican nomination for the seat.
However, he eventually stepped down, and Franklin County Republicans were able to replace him on the ballot with Laura Lanese.