Kimberly Mata-Rubio, who lost her daughter Alexandria “Lexi” Rubio in the 2022 mass sh00ting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has announced her candidacy for mayor this fall.
According to the Uvalde Leader-News, the 34-year-old mother of five and lifelong Uvalde resident plans to run for mayor in the Nov. 7 special election.
Don McLaughlin, a Republican who has served as mayor of Uvalde since 2014, is stepping down to seek a seat in the United States House of Representatives.
“I want to represent the underserved in this community, whose voices matter but have been long unheard,” Mata-Rubio told the site, where she also works as an advertising executive. “I want residents to see themselves in me and to feel at ease sharing their grievances.”
Mata-Rubio is an award-winning journalist for the publication and a St. Mary’s University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in public history.
On May 24, 2022, Mata-Rubio had just left a ceremony honoring Lexi and her son, Julian, when a gunman invaded the school and murdered 19 pupils and two instructors. Lexi, 10, was one of the victims.
Mata-Rubio addressed her late daughter in a tweet announcing her candidacy on July 27 (now known as X).
“I grieve for the woman you would have become and all the difference you would have made in this world,” she wrote. “I grieve for the woman I was when you were still here.”
I grieve for the woman you would have become and all the difference you would have made in this world. I grieve for the woman I was when you were still here. But, one part of me still exist, I am still your mom. I will honor your life with action. This is only the beginning💛 pic.twitter.com/s3rknjwsCC
— Kimberly Mata-Rubio (@kimrubio21) July 27, 2023
“But one part of me remains, I am still your mother,” she said. “I will honor your life by taking action.” This is just the start.”
Mata-Rubio has marched in demonstrations and worked with public authorities to prevent gun violence since her daughter’s murder.
“I don’t want Lexi to just be remembered for this tragedy, so I want to share who she was,” she told PEOPLE in May. “I think honoring her life with action is the greatest way to do that. And I think that had Lexi grown up and had the opportunity to grow up, she would’ve made a difference in this world. So I’m hoping that she still can, through me.”
Mata-Rubio earlier stated that her grief has motivated her to take action in order to avoid future mass killings.
“I want children to have a chance to grow up,” she explained to PEOPLE. “I want mothers and fathers to be able to keep their children.” I don’t want them to feel the same way I do. It’s excessive.”
The only other candidate to announce is Cody Smith, a senior vice president at First State Bank of Uvalde. He served as mayor of Uvalde from 2008 to 2012 and on the city council from 1995 to 2008.
According to the Leader-News, Mata-Rubio will be the first woman and third Hispanic mayor in Uvalde history if elected.
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