Chubb’s leadership empowers the region

The Indiana primary election enlightened the public on some of the most passionate and ambitious individuals in the area. One in particular, Deb Chubb, is a stellar example of such. Chubb ran on the Democratic ticket for state senator. 

Chubb decided to run for State Senate after Karen Tillian, former state senator, retired from the position in 2021. Chubb felt as though her voice was important, and it would be her duty to run for the state senate seat. 

“I feel like I could really bring a strong voice for women, families, and the environment and bring a lot of great things to the Statehouse. I always thought that if my senator Karen Tallian retired, I would probably run for that seat. Because I am someone who has dedicated my life to getting more Democratic women elected, I felt like I just had to run,” said Chubb.

Though Chubb did not win the primary election on May 3rd, she still wants to keep her seat at the table and work on the many issues she is passionate about, specifically electing more women in office. 

“I have worked on many campaigns before, so politics is something that I’m always involved in. There was a time when I decided that I would only work on Democratic women’s campaigns because women are so underrepresented in the state legislature and most government positions. Men don’t need my help. They have all of the advantages already and so many unspoken advantages in politics where it’s just ridiculous,” Chubb said.

Chubb is also passionate about reforming child care and making it more attainable and high quality. 

“The fact that women are underrepresented in the Indiana State Legislature is obvious when you look at the policies that impact women and children in Indiana. My most important passions are issues that impact women and children. Childcare is the number one barrier between women and financial security and what keeps women poor. After spending 20 years advocating for these issues at the state, federal, and local levels, I was excited to provide more access to high quality childhood education and care. There are a plethora of issues that women face when they are trying to achieve the right childcare situation and I was excited to provide my expertise on the issue to the Statehouse and actually do something,” Chubb said. 

In addition to being an advocate for women and children, Chubb also cares deeply about the environment and has worked diligently in the past to increase public awareness of environmental issues and preserve the Indiana Dunes. 

“I have been at the Statehouse lobbying about environmental issues for many years. I explained how important wetlands are and I would just get blank stares, which was very frustrating as an activist. I’ve been advocating on very complex environmental issues for many years and was on the executive committee for Save the Dunes for ten years before becoming the president for three years. My speciality in that group was taking care of complicated environmental issues and translating it into language that the public could consume so that we could talk about these issues,” Chubb said. 

A few years ago, Chubb founded an organization that aimed to elect women in Indiana to run for leadership positions throughout the state. She wanted to make sure that women were being considered for elected roles and reaching their potential rather than sitting on the sidelines and wishing they were running.

“In 2019, I started an organization called 25 Women for 2020 with the idea to recruit Democratic women to run for state legislative seats and help them with their campaigns. I went around the state recruiting Democratic women to run. I called a lot of women and traveled around the state and met with women’s groups. Ultimately, we developed a Democratic women candidate network of 29 women in the 2020 race,” Chubb said. 

Chubb’s work in the childcare sector, on the Michigan City Schools Board of Trustees, in the legal field, and environmental contributions have all greatly influenced Michigan City in a magnitude of ways. She has championed women, children, and the environment for decades and used her platform and leadership skills to better those in need. 

Make sure to keep an eye out for Chubb in her future endeavors as she will most definitely be making her way up the ladder.