Theresa Manzella (born November 26, 1964) is an American politician. She serves as a

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 ...

member of the

Montana Senate The Montana Senate is the upper house of the Montana Legislature, the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Montana. The body is composed of 50 senators elected for four years. Composition of the Senate :''67th Legislature – 2021–202 ...

, representing District 44 since January 2021. From 2015 to 2021, she served in the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House :''67th Legislature – 2021� ...

, representing District 85, which included parts of

Hamilton, Montana Hamilton is a city that serves as the county seat of Ravalli County, Montana, United States. The population was 4,659 at the 2020 census. History Hamilton was founded by copper king Marcus Daly in the late 19th century. It was named for J.W. H ...

Career

According to her official biography, Theresa Manzella was formerly employed at Pontiac Motors headquarters and from 1985 to 1990 as a supervisor at Electronic Data Systems. She has also been the owner of TNT Paints & Performance Horses since 1992 and was the founder of Willing Servants, Inc. In the

2016 Republican Party presidential primaries Presidential primaries and caucuses of the Republican Party took place within all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories between February 1 and June 7, 2016. These elections selected the 2,472 delegates that were se ...

, Manzella supported

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...

and, after Ted Cruz dropped out of the race,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. Manzella ran for the Montana Senate in 2020. In the Republican primary, she faced fellow representative Nancy Ballance, with Manzella reported to be the more conservative of two candidates. Manzella won the primary, earning 63% of the vote in the primary and subsequently won the general election. In the Montana Legislature, Manzella has been aligned with the right-wing faction of the state Republican Party (who called themselves "38 Specials" in reference to the bullet cartridge of that name), which has clashed with comparatively moderate Republicans (the "Solutions Caucus") who joined with Democrats on some issues.Iris Samuels
Incumbents ousted in primaries amid competing GOP factions
Associated Press (June 5, 2020).Eric Dietrich
When the 'Solutions Caucus' did-and didn't-vote with Dems
''Montana Free Press'' (May 5, 2019). Manzella opposed the 2018

Medicaid expansion In the context of American public healthcare policy, Medicaid coverage gap refers to uninsured people who reside in states which have opted out of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), who are both ineligible for Medicaid unde ...

bill in Montana, and accused Republicans who supported it of betrayal because the citizens had voted Medicaid Expansion down as a ballot initiative in 2018. In the 2019 Montana Legislature, Manzella sponsored a bill (HB 575) that would have eliminated almost all childhood vaccine requirements for

day care center Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

s for those who claimed a religious objection.Holly K. Michels
House defeats three bills that would have loosened vaccine rules
''Missolulian'' (February 28, 2019). In a 2018 post on the Ravalli County Republicans' Facebook group, Manzella claimed that the local schoolteachers' union,

MEA-MFT The Montana Federation of Public Employees (MFPE) is a Montana labor union. Its 23,000 members make it the largest union in the state. MFPE is a public employee union with a diverse membership embracing public school teachers and classified person ...

, was, "working against our constitution and for socialism and communism."Perry Backus
Lawmaker's claim that teachers' union supports communism like a punch "in the gut"
''Ravalli Republic'' (March 8, 2018). The co-president of the local union responded that Manzella's claims were false and slanderous. State Senate candidate Jason Ellsworth, a fellow Republican, also criticized Manzella's remarks. In 2023, Manzella was elected as Chair of the Montana Freedom Caucus and has been open about her anti-gay and transphobic opinions. In 2021, Manzella said that LGBTQ+ people brought violence on themselves because of "their choice to live a perverse lifestyle",Politician Says Anti-LGBTQ+ Attacks Are Due to 'Perverse Lifestyle'
''Advocate'' (November 19, 2021) including actions such as holding hands in public.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manzella, Theresa Living people People from Hamilton, Montana Women state legislators in Montana Republican Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Republican Party Montana state senators 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 1964 births