Each month, we highlight a Super Volunteer of the Month, a member who has gone above and beyond to advocate for clean air and children’s health. Our members in states across the country are more important than ever as we work to preserve clean air and climate protections. Will you join us?
This Election Day, we are celebrating Debra Shigley, mom of five, attorney, former news anchor, and recent candidate for the Georgia State Senate in District 21, which spans North Fulton and Cherokee Counties. Debra was nominated by Isabel González Whitaker, Moms’ Associate Vice President for Public Engagement, not only for her hard-fought Senate race (which unfortunately ended in a loss) but for her clean air and climate advocacy on social media. Debra has teamed up with Moms to translate technical subjects—like air pollution from plastics and petrochemical facilities—into short, creative videos that inspire action.
Tell Congress: Protect Families From the Plastics and Petrochemical Industry
We talked to Debra about her run for office and her work to inspire her kids and women in her community to get involved.
How did you first become interested in environmental and air quality issues?
I’ve always been concerned about healthy living and our environment. And certainly, once I became a mom, it became even more important. I want a safe environment for my own five children, and also for future generations—that’s really who we’re trying to keep things sustainable for.
Tell me about your run for State Senate this year.
This was my second campaign. I had run for the State House in the 2024 cycle. It was a great experience, though we were not successful.
The State Senate race came out of the blue. The person who was in the seat before was appointed to be U.S. Treasurer by the current administration in May of this year. We had a jungle election, as it’s called in Georgia. And I thought, let’s go!
We had an incredible run. It was a four-month campaign, quicker than a typical cycle for a state legislature seat. The initial election was August 26. It went to a runoff, which was by law four weeks later. Unfortunately, we did not win. But no regrets.
What issues did you find resonated most with voters?
There is a feeling of general frustration with the chaos right now at the federal level. It feels like it’s just one thing after another, and you cannot even catch a breath. So that’s overwhelming and is a big concern to a lot of folks.
Cost of living is also very critical right now—whether it is the cost of groceries or people feeling like they’re stretched thin raising a family. Energy bills are going up too. There have been six rate hikes under our current Public Service Commission. The folks on the Commission have been very aligned with the power companies, and the power companies are not interested in more sustainable, cheaper energy sources.
Will you run for office again?
This campaign was an incredible experience. I never thought I’d get into politics. But a special election is very special because there aren’t other elections happening at the same time. That creates the opportunity to bring people in from all over the state—and that’s what happened. Our campaign just grew from nothing. It was a wonderful movement of people who had not been involved in politics before knocking doors, making phone calls, donating.
I feel a calling to serve. I do not know what the next opportunity will be. I do not know if it’s in an elected role, so I’m just seeing what pops up and where I can help out.
How do you involve your kids in civic engagement?
This campaign was run out of my house, and they absorbed a lot by osmosis. They’ve seen me in action. They’ve seen my signs in the community, the ads on YouTube. I hope that they’ve picked up on how important it is to be a citizen in our democracy and that it’s inspired them to be in the arena even if they don’t win.
You have a background in journalism. How do you think we can best use media to raise awareness about air pollution and its health impacts?
People don’t have a lot of time, so social media is a great way to expose folks to what is happening, whether it is a catchy fun video that introduces the term “petrochemicals” or “phthalates” or a deep dive and storytelling. What I really love about social media, having come from a more traditional journalism background, is that there are endless opportunities to share expertise and issues that you’re passionate about. A citizen journalist who has a data center about to go up in their community could go over there and talk about it or film what’s going on at the community meetings. It’s opening so many doors for greater participation in our democracy. And all these new voices really matter and are important.
What advice would you give to caregivers who want to get involved in local activism or might be considering a run for office?
I encourage everyone to get involved. It may seem a little unfamiliar or daunting, but I promise you, if you show up to one meeting, all that mystery will instantly disappear. If you’re involved in your PTA, your children’s school, this is not that different. I see many active, engaged, savvy, organized moms in every organization I’m a part of. And I think all the time, How can we get more of these amazing women in the legislature? How can we get more of these women who have all these professional skills, community skills, life skills, lived experience into the rooms where some of these other decisions are being made?
Just start showing up. Begin with whatever community service you want to do, and maybe that will lead to running for office. Because now more than ever, our voices are needed, and we absolutely are worthy.
Tell Congress: Protect Families From the Plastics and Petrochemical Industry