U.S. House of Representatives
Elections ;1990 Incumbent Republican U.S. Congresswoman
Lynn Morley Martin, of
Illinois's 16th congressional district, decided to retire in order to run for the U.S. Senate. Manzullo ran in the Republican primary, but lost to State Representative
John Hallock, Jr. 54%-46%. In the general election, Hallock was defeated by Democrat
John W. Cox Jr., a city attorney. ;1992 Manzullo ran for the 16th district again in 1992. He won the Republican primary, defeating State Senator
Jack Schaffer 56%-44%. In the general election, he defeated the incumbent 56%-44%. ;1994–2006 During this time period, Manzullo was never challenged in the Republican primary. He won re-election every two years with at least 60% of the vote, and was completely unopposed in 1998. ;2008 Manzullo defeated Democrat Bob Abboud, the Mayor of
Barrington Hills, 61%-36%. ;2010 Manzullo defeated Democrat George Gaulrapp, the Mayor of
Freeport, 65%-31%. ;2012 Illinois' congressional map was significantly altered after the 2010 census. Manzullo's district underwent some of the most dramatic changes. For most of the last century and a half, the 16th and its predecessors had stretched from the Rockford area to the northwestern corner of the state, though from 1993 to 2013 it stretched as far as
McHenry County in the Chicago suburbs. Indeed, the addition of McHenry County helped Manzullo defeat Cox in 1992. The reconfigured 16th retained Manzullo's home in
Ogle County and most of Rockford's suburbs. However, most of its western portion, including more than half of Rockford itself, was shifted to the 17th District. To make up for the loss in population, the 16th was pushed well to the east, and now stretched from the Wisconsin border to the Indiana border, essentially wrapping around the
collar counties. The new map drew the home of freshman
11th district incumbent
Adam Kinzinger, a somewhat more moderate Republican, into the 16th. Despite this dramatic remap, the new 16th was still geographically more Manzullo's district than Kinzinger's. The new 16th included roughly 44 percent of Manzullo's former territory and only 31 percent of Kinzinger's. Manzullo was backed by conservative groups including
FreedomWorks, the
American Conservative Union, and various
Tea Party groups, while Kinzinger was backed by
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
Tenure Manzullo had a very conservative voting record; indeed, for much of his tenure he was one of the most (if not the most) conservative members of the Illinois delegation. He has a lifetime
American Conservative Union rating of 96, the highest in the Illinois delegation. He was a member of the
Republican Study Committee. His views on such issues as abortion also follow this trend; he has a 100% approval rating from the
National Right to Life Committee since 1997. He is also a strong supporter of the
American Land Rights Association. During his tenure in Congress, Manzullo authored 17 bills that were signed into law by the
President and altered the direction of 18 other bills that also became law. subcommittee, advocating for increased use of the regional airport in
Rockford as a way to decrease crowding at
Chicago's other airports. During his time in Congress, Manzullo worked avidly to ensure "the safety of the American people". He consistently supported the interests of the
American Security Council Foundation and the
Center for Security Politics. At one point, Manzullo worked on an appeal to President
Barack Obama to forgo his plan to move over 200 Taliban and al Qaeda terrorist suspects from
Guantanamo Bay detention camp to northern Illinois for detainment. He instead advocated for the creation of a new federal prison, the Thomson Correctional Facility, as a new hub in the already vastly over capacity prison system. Manzullo has offered support to
British American Tobacco in its campaign against the
Australian government's decision to compel tobacco companies to only offer their products in plain packaging in an effort to reduce
smoking rates, particularly amongst young people. To fund his campaigns for re-election, Manzullo receives financing from a number of contributors, foremost among them
Honeywell International, which donated $10,000 towards his last election. He has also received amounts of $5,000 or more from New York Life Insurance, American Society of Anesthesiologists, AFLAC Incorporated, and the American Bankers Association. Manzullo served as the chairman on the
House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific from 2011 to 2013. Manzullo was a member of the
Republican National Committee.
Committee assignments •
Committee on Financial Services •
Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises •
Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit •
Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade •
Committee on Foreign Affairs •
Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific (Chair) •
Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia Caucus memberships • African and Investment Caucus • Congressional Wine Caucus • House Diabetes Caucus • House Manufacturing Caucus (Founder and co-chair) • House Republican Policy Committee Task Force on Manufacturing (Chairman) •
International Conservation Caucus • National Innovation Initiative • Council on Competitiveness Steering Committee ==Post-congressional career==