Theresa Manzella
Theresa Manzella | |
---|---|
Member of the Montana Senate from the 44th district | |
Assumed office January 4, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Fred Thomas |
Member of the Montana House of Representatives from the 85th district | |
In office January 5, 2015 – January 4, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Gordon Pierson |
Succeeded by | Michele Binkley |
Personal details | |
Born | Hamilton, Montana, U.S. | November 26, 1964
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Ken |
Theresa Manzella (born November 26, 1964)[1] is an American politician. She serves as a Republican member of the Montana Senate, representing District 44 since January 2021. From 2015 to 2021, she served in the Montana House of Representatives, representing District 85, which included parts of Hamilton, Montana.[1][2]
Career[]
According to her official biography, Manzella was formerly employed at Pontiac Motors headquarters and, from 1985 to 1990, as a supervisor at Electronic Data Systems; has been the owner of TNT Paints & Performance Horses since 1992, and is an employee of Willing Servants, Inc.[1]
In the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries, Manzella supported Ted Cruz and, after Cruz dropped out of the race, Donald Trump.[3] 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.[4] Manzella won the primary and subsequently won the general election.[5]
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 together with Democrats on some issues.[6][7] Manzella opposed the 2018 Medicaid expansion bill in Montana, and accused Republicans who supported it of betrayal because they had joined with Democrats.[6][7]
In the 2019 Montana Legislature, Manzella sponsored a bill (HB 575) that would have eliminated almost all childhood vaccine requirements for day care centers for those who claimed a religious objection.[8] The bill, considered at a time when there was a mumps outbreak in Bozeman, Montana and a measles outbreak in neighboring Washington state, was defeated on a 32–68 vote,[8] with a coalition of Democrats and Solutions Caucus Republicans voting no.[7]
In a 2018 post on the Ravalli County Republicans' Facebook group, Manzella claimed that the local schoolteachers' union, MEA-MFT, was "working against our constitution and for socialism and communism."[9] The co-president of the local union responded that Manzella's claim was false and slanderous.[9] State Senate candidate Jason Ellsworth, a fellow Republican, also criticized Manzella's remark.[10]
References[]
- ^ a b c "Representative Theresa Manzella's Biography". votesmart. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ "Name : THERESA MANZELLA (R)". The Montana Legislature. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
- ^ Bobby Caina Calvan, Click to copy Donald Trump poses tough decisions for Montana GOP stalwarts, Associated Press (July 7, 2016).
- ^ Sakariassen, Alex (May 22, 2020). "Purity versus pragmatism". Montana Free Press. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- ^ Backus, Perry (November 3, 2020). "Republicans sweep record-setting election in Ravalli County". Ravalli Republic. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- ^ a b Iris Samuels, Incumbents ousted in primaries amid competing GOP factions, Associated Press (June 5, 2020).
- ^ a b c Eric Dietrich, When the 'Solutions Caucus' did-and didn't-vote with Dems, Montana Free Press (May 5, 2019).
- ^ a b Holly K. Michels, House defeats three bills that would have loosened vaccine rules, Missolulian (February 28, 2019).
- ^ a b Perry Backus, Lawmaker's claim that teachers' union supports communism like a punch "in the gut",Ravalli Republic (March 8, 2018).
- ^ Perry Backus, Ellsworth, GOP candidate in Senate Dist. 43 primary, explains FTC case that cost him $600,000, Ravalli Republic (May 30, 2018).
- Pages using Party stripe with other party
- Living people
- People from Hamilton, Montana
- Women state legislators in Montana
- Members of the Montana House of Representatives
- Montana state senators
- Montana Republicans
- 21st-century American politicians
- 21st-century American women politicians
- 1964 births