Kimberly Mata-Rubio, the mother of one of the victims in the Robb Elementary School massacre in Uvalde, Texas, has announced her plans to run for mayor in a special election.
Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter Alexandria “Lexi” Rubio died in the shooting, announced the launch of her campaign through the city’s newspaper, The Uvalde Leader-News, on Thursday.
Rubio, an advertising executive at the Uvalde Leader-News, told the outlet she wants to represent her community, serving as a voice for the underserved whose voices have been long underrepresented.
“It would be easy to run from the issues that plague our town, but I have decided to remain in Uvalde and be part of the change that is long overdue,” Mata-Rubio told the Uvalde Leader-News.
“Our town has become stagnant. Our 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.”
The mother of six also said she has met with dozens of lawmakers on the state and federal levels to learn more about navigating through the country’s political system.
She noted topics she wants to tackle as mayor include improving communication between the city and the school district and local county officials, preserving the city’s history and assisting with the prosperity of locally owned businesses.
Mata-Rubio’s announcement comes more than a year since the massacre at Robb Elementary School, where 19 students and two teachers were killed after a gunman opened fire inside a fourth-grade classroom.
In the aftermath, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first major type of legislation to address gun violence in nearly 30 years. President Biden signed it into law last year.
Mata-Rubio, who also serves as president of the nonprofit organization Lives Robbed, is seeking to win a position being vacated by current mayor Don McLaughlin (R). McLaughlin is stepping down to run for a seat in the state’s House of Representatives, according to ABC News.
The city’s special election is scheduled for Nov. 7.