AUSTIN, Texas — Kimberly Mata-Rubio, the mother of Alexandria “Lexi” Rubio who was killed in the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting last year, announced Thursday that she is running to be the Texas city’s next mayor.
Mata-Rubio, 34, is seeking to succeed Mayor Don McLaughlin, who is stepping down after nearly 10 years leading the city to pursue a seat in the Texas House. A special election for mayor will be held on Nov. 7.
Mata-Rubio made the announcement on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Addressing her daughter, one of 19 fourth-grade students killed in the May 24, 2022, massacre, she wrote: “I will honor your life with action. This is only the beginning.”
Mata-Rubio and Cody Smith, a banker and former mayor, are the only two candidates who’ve publicly announced a bid for the city’s top elected office.
“I want to represent the underserved in this community, whose voices matter but have long been unheard. I want residents to see themselves in me and feel at ease sharing their grievances,” Mata-Rubio told the Uvalde Leader News when announcing her campaign.
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A lifelong Uvalde resident who works in advertising at the Uvalde Leader News, Mata-Rubio graduated from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio last December with a bachelor’s degree in public history.
Mata-Rubio is among several Uvalde parents who have advocated at the state and federal levels for gun safety reform after 19 students and two teachers were killed by an 18-year-old man at Robb Elementary School. The gunman opened fire in a classroom with an assault rifle he had purchased legally.
The law enforcement response to the shooting has been roundly criticized after 400 armed officers arrived to the school and hesitated outside of the classroom for more than an hour before confronting the gunman.
But those gun reform efforts, which include banning assault rifles or raising the age to buy one to 21, were unsuccessful in the Texas Legislature.
Mata-Rubio told the newspaper Uvalde had become “stagnant” and that the city’s leadership became “comfortable, which led to the events that unfolded on May 24, 2022.”
“The aftermath has added to the trauma of a grieving and fractured community. It is my hope to bridge the gap because only when we come together can we evolve to something greater,” she told the newspaper.
The election will be Mata-Rubio’s first time seeking elected office, the newspaper reported. If elected, Mata-Rubio would become the first woman and third Hispanic mayor of Uvalde.
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