Elise Stefanik has represented New York’s 21st congressional district since 2015. Away from politics, Stefanik shares her life with her husband, Matthew Manda.
The two were introduced through mutual friends, became engaged in August 2016, and married the following year.
While Elise works in the public eye, Matthew has taken a quieter path and works in marketing and communications.
Together, they often let followers in on their family moments through social media, offering a look at their marriage and their life with their son.
Matthew Manda Works for the NSSF
Manda serves as the manager of public affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association based in Newtown, Connecticut.
He is the son of Katherine A. Manda and Dr. Edward A. Manda and studied at the University of Kansas before beginning his career in politics and communications.
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Over the years, Manda has held several roles, including communications director for Representative Kevin Yoder of Kansas and political director for Senator Jerry Moran’s 2010 campaign. He later worked as the marketing and communications director for the Media Group of America in Alexandria, Virginia, which owns Independent Journal Review.
Today, alongside his role at NSSF, Manda also contributes articles to the organization’s website and other outlets, covering events and policy positions important to the group.
Elise Stefanik Met Her Husband in 2012
Stefanik and Manda first met in January 2012 at a party hosted in Washington, D.C. They were introduced through mutual friends shortly after Manda had moved to the city to begin working on Capitol Hill.
Looking back on their first meeting, Stefanik once shared in an email to the Glens Falls Chronicle that the two started dating soon after that night.
They Got Engaged in August 2016
Matthew proposed to Elise in late August 2016, and the engagement was shared publicly the following month. Elise later described how the moment unfolded during a getaway to Lake Placid.
She recalled that her future hubby, Matthew, had arranged dinner plans and booked an overnight stay at the Mirror Lake Inn. Before heading to dinner, they stopped for a drink at the inn’s upstairs lounge. Sitting together on a small porch overlooking the lake, Matthew got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Elise said yes.
There was also a funny detail to the proposal. Along with the ring box, her fiancé had tied the ring to a piece of dental floss. Since his father is a dentist, Matt didn’t want to risk dropping it and losing it in the moment.
Elise Stefanik and Matthew Manda Got Married in August 2017
The couple got married on August 19, 2017, in Saratoga Springs, New York. The ceremony took place at the Hall of Springs reflecting pool and was officiated by Jan Plumadore, a retired New York State Supreme Court justice.
The two have remained close ever since. In 2024, while celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary, Matthew shared wedding photos and wrote, “❤️ ❤️ ❤️ Wow!!! Year Number Seven – can it be?!?! Since we both said ‘I do’ joyfully. Lots happened since then, And I’d do it again, @elisestefanik – Happy Anniversary!”
They Have a Son, Samuel Albritton
Stefanik, along with her spouse, Matthew Manda, welcomed her first child, Samuel “Sam” Albritton Manda, in late August 2021.
Announcing his birth, the couple said, “Our hearts are bursting with joy and our lives have never been fuller. We are truly blessed by our most precious gift, Baby Sam.”
Today, the family of three lives together in Schuylerville, near Saratoga Springs.
