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

Montana Senate The Montana State 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. Half of the Senate is up for election every two years. ...

, 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 In the event that the parti ...

, 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 United States census, 2020 census. History Hamilton was founded by Copper Kings, copper king Marcus Daly in the la ...

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 we ...

, Manzella supported

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward 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 was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...

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 is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. 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 Under the public healthcare policy of the United States, some people have incomes too high to qualify in their state of residence for Medicaid, the public health insurance plan for those with limited resources, but too low to qualify for the pr ...

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, also known as day care, is the care and supervision of one or more children, typically ranging from three months to 18 years old. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(ren), childcare typica ...

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 labor union in the state of Montana. Its 23,000 members make it the largest union in the state. The MFPE is primarily an education union, with most of its members being teachers, paraprofes ...

, 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.Perry Backus
Ellsworth, GOP candidate in Senate Dist. 43 primary, explains FTC case that cost him $600,000
''Ravalli Republic'' (May 30, 2018). In 2023, Manzella was elected as Chair of the Montana Freedom Caucus.

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 women politicians 1964 births 21st-century members of the Montana Legislature