TheraCare owner running for Missouri House

SBJ file

Melanie Stinnett seeks the District 133 seat in the state House of Representatives.

TheraCare Outpatient Services LLC owner Melanie Stinnett launched a bid for the Missouri House of Representatives.

Stinnett is running as a Republican for the District 133 seat currently held by Rep. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield, according to a filing with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Trent is running for Missouri's 20th district spot in the Senate, which opened after Sen. Eric Burlison signaled campaign plans for Missouri's 7th Congressional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Through her campaign Facebook page, Melanie Stinnett SW MO Disability Advocate, the business owner made her campaign public Oct. 12.

"I'm a strong conservative that believes in limited government and the strength of the people and resources within our community," she said in a campaign video posted to the page. "I'm running to fight for election integrity, provide parents with more oversight in their children's education and ensure that our citizens are not held captive by political mandates that further a liberal agenda which would strangle our state and our country."

Former Chillicothe City Manager Darin Chappell and Battlefield Alderman Samantha Deaton also have filed with the MEC to seek the District 133 seat.

Stinnett's TheraCare Outpatient Services was an honoree for Springfield Business Journal's Economic Impact Awards. The 26-employee company, which focuses on pediatrics for its health care services, such as speech, occupational and physical therapy, reported 2020 revenue of $1.1 million.

Stinnett was a member of SBJ's 2019 class of Most Influential Women.

TheraCare also is a finalist this year for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s W. Curtis Strube Small Business Award.