Rebecca Kubacki is an American politician and former Republican member of the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House mem ...

. Kubacki represented the 22nd District for two terms from 2010 to 2014.

Early life and education

Born to parents Christina and Raul Espinoza, Kubacki was born in a migrant workers camp in

Immokalee, Florida Immokalee ( ) is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place in Collier County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,557 at the 2020 census, up from 24,154 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Collier Co ...

. Kubacki, who is the middle child of her parents' seven children, grew up in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

before her parents found work as tomato farmers and settled in

Oswego, Indiana Oswego is an unincorporated community in Plain Township, Kosciusko County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. History Oswego was laid out in 1837. It was named after Oswego, New York Oswego () is a City (New York), city in and the county seat ...

when she was young. She graduated from Pierceton High School in

Pierceton, Indiana Pierceton is a town in Washington Township, Kosciusko County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 928 at the 2020 census. History In 1853, John Butler Chapman and Lewis Keith, his father-in-law, employed Otho Means, a surveyor, ...

, where she met her future husband, Michael Kubacki. She went on to attend

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

Kelley School of Business The Kelley School of Business (KSB) is an undergraduate and graduate business school for Indiana University Bloomington and Indiana University Indianapolis. As of 2022, approximately 13,538 full-time undergraduate and graduate students are enr ...

Indiana House of Representatives

In 2010, Kubacki launched a primary challenge to nine-term Republican incumbent William Rupple and defeated him 53.8% to 46.1%. In the general election, Kubacki faced Democratic opponent Allen Lee Dunnagan and won with 66% of the vote. Kubacki was sworn in on November 16, 2010, and became the first Hispanic Republican to serve in the Indiana House. She was subsequently elected to a second term after defeating Kosciusko County Democratic Party Treasurer John Bonitati with over 75% of the vote. In the 2014 Republican primary Kubacki was challenged by business owner Curt Nisly, who attacked her primarily on her position against amending the Indiana Constitution to define "marriage." On May 6, 2014, Kubacki lost to Nisly 2,541 votes to 4,624, or 35.2% to 64.7%. Throughout the entire campaign, Kubacki stood strong in her position that proposed legislation should be for the betterment of the State and did not give in to the pressures of interest groups within her party.

Personal life

Kubacki lives with her husband Michael in

Carmel, Indiana Carmel () is a suburban city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, immediately north of Indianapolis. With a population of 99,757 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city spans across Clay Township, Hamilton County, Indi ...

, they have two adult children, Katherine “Katie” Kitson (Teacher in Warsaw) mother to Isabella "Isa" Silva and Roman Silva and Matthew Kubacki (Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Indianapolis) father to Grayson Kubacki. Michael is the Chairman of Lakeland Financial Corp in

Warsaw, Indiana Warsaw is a city in and the county seat of Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. Warsaw has a population of 15,804 as of the 2020 U.S. Census. Warsaw also borders a smaller town, Winona Lake. Etymology Warsaw, named after the capital of ...

and is a former member of the board of directors at the

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (informally the Chicago Fed) is one of twelve Federal Reserve Banks that, along with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, make up the Federal Reserve System, the United States' central bank. The Chicago Fed ...

. Kubacki is a practicing

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

and attends St Martin De Porres Parish in Syracuse.

References

External links

Representative Rebecca Kubacki
''official Indiana State Legislature site'' * Living people Republican Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives Women state legislators in Indiana Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Indiana Hispanic and Latino American women in politics People from Immokalee, Florida Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women politicians Latino conservatism in the United States Hispanic and Latino American people in Indiana politics 21st-century members of the Indiana General Assembly Kelley School of Business alumni Indiana University Bloomington alumni {{Indiana-politician-stub