Uvalde Tragedy Victim’s Mother Seeks Mayoral Seat

In the aftermath of the harrowing mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose daughter was one of the 19 children tragically slain, is contending for the position of mayor in Uvalde’s upcoming election. As a proponent of stringent gun control measures, Mata-Rubio, 34, is endeavoring to lead the city as its first female mayor and aims to steer the community of 15,000 toward recovery and unity, despite prevailing divisions on the path ahead. This includes the ongoing demand for an inquiry into the delayed police action, with officers taking over an hour to engage the adolescent assailant.

Mata-Rubio is in the race with former mayor Cody Smith, who served until 2012, and Veronica Martinez, who teaches at a local elementary school.

The mayoral race marks Uvalde’s first since the devastating events of May 24, 2022. The perpetrator of the attack utilized an AR-style rifle in a fourth-grade classroom, the very type of firearm Mata-Rubio has publicly urged legislators to prohibit, especially poignant as she mourns the loss of her 10-year-old daughter, Lexi, along with two teachers.

Since the loss of her child, Mata-Rubio has risen as one of the most vocal parents in Uvalde, not shying away from Congressional testimony and establishing Lives Robbed, an organization campaigning for more rigorous gun control legislation.

The elected candidate will succeed Mayor Don McLaughlin, who openly condemned the Texas state police following the massacre. McLaughlin will vacate his post to pursue a Republican candidacy for the Texas Legislature in the forthcoming year.

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More about Uvalde mayoral election

• Uvalde School Shooting
• Gun Control Legislation
• Lives Robbed Nonprofit
• Testimony Before Congress
• Texas Legislature