Pavičić Vukičević was the secretary of the Zagreb organization of the Social Democratic Party from 2000 to 2003. From 2001 to 2005, she was a member of the Zagreb City Assembly and secretary of the SDP club. From 2003 to 2007, she was a member of the SDP in the 5th session of the Croatian Parliament.[4] From 2005 to 2008, she was a city representative in the Zagreb Assembly, president of the SDP club and president of the SDP-HSS-HSU coalition club.[6] In 2008, she was appointed head of the city office for education, culture and sports.[7] She held this position until 2009.[6] From 2011 to 2013 she was a member of the Croatian delegation of observers to the European Committee of the Regions of the European Parliament, and in 2013 when Croatia became a member of the European Union, she became a member of the Croatian delegation to the Committee of the Regions.[6][self-published source?]
Pavičić Vukičević inherited a Zagreb ravaged by the multiple calamities of 2020 Zagreb earthquake, 2020 Zagreb flash flood, 2020 Petrinja earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic. The earthquakes produced over €11 billion in damages in the city.[10] Her controversial predecessor as mayor, and close associate, Milan Bandić, was criticised for the city's poor recovery.[11][12][13][14] In spite of this, Pavičić Vukičević spoke positively of Bandić and said she would continue his legacy,[15][16] choosing to keep Bandić's name as part of the party's name.[17]
On the 16 May elections, Pavičić Vukičević won 36,309 votes (11.10%), making her the third-placed and non-eligible for the second round.[18]