Theresa Thibodeau (born June 9, 1975) is an American politician who served as a member of the

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators", the Nebraska Legislature is the small ...

2017 to 2018. In November 2021, Thibodeau entered the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

primary for

Governor of Nebraska The governor of Nebraska is the head of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Constitution of Nebraska. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term, with elections held two years after presidential e ...

Early life and career

Thibodeau was born Theresa Sanderson on June 9, 1975, in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. She attended

Capistrano Valley High School Capistrano Valley High School (often called CVHS or Capo) is a public high school at the southern border of Mission Viejo, California, USA, that is run by the Capistrano Unified School District. It is set on a hilltop overlooking the San Diego Fre ...

and graduated in 1993. She attended the

University of Nebraska at Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (Omaha or UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was originally kno ...

from 1996 to 1998, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

Political career

Nebraska State Legislature

Thibodeau was appointed to represent District 6, in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

, by Governor

Pete Ricketts John Peter Ricketts (born August 19, 1964) is an American politician serving as the 40th governor of Nebraska since 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party. Ricketts is the son of Joe Ricketts, founder of TD Ameritrade. He is also, with oth ...

in October 2017. The seat became vacant following the resignation of the incumbent Republican, Joni Craighead. Thibodeau was encouraged by Pete Rickets to submit her name for the position, which she did on October 13, two weeks after the deadline to submit on September 29. Thibodeau was defeated by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Machaela Cavanaugh Machaela M. Cavanaugh (born January 17, 1979) is an American politician serving in the Nebraska Legislature from the 6th district. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Early life and education Cavanaugh was born on January 17, 1979, in W ...

in the 2018 midterm elections held in November 2018. Thibodeau unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor in the

2022 Nebraska gubernatorial election The 2022 Nebraska gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Nebraska. Incumbent Republican Governor Pete Ricketts was term-limited and unable to seek a third term. In the general election, Republican Jim P ...

. She came in fourth place with 6.05% of the vote, behind

Jim Pillen James D. Pillen (born December 31, 1955) is an American politician, veterinarian and livestock producer serving as the 41st and current governor of Nebraska since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Pillen served on the Nebraska State Board ...

(33.75%),

Charles Herbster Charles W. Herbster (born 1954 or 1955) is an American agribusiness executive, cattle producer, political donor, and politician. He was an agriculture advisor and chairman of Donald Trump's agriculture and rural advisory committee during the Tr ...

(30.13%), and Brett Lindstrom (25.68%).

Electoral history

Personal life

Thibodeau is

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. She and her husband, Joseph Thibodeau, live in Nebraska with their three children, two daughters and a son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thibodeau, Theresa Women state legislators in Nebraska 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians Democratic Party Nebraska state senators 1975 births Living people Politicians from Kansas City, Missouri University of Nebraska Omaha alumni Catholics from Missouri Catholics from Nebraska