Current:Home > NewsUvalde mother whose daughter was killed in 2022 school shooting on the ballot for mayoral election-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Uvalde mother whose daughter was killed in 2022 school shooting on the ballot for mayoral election
View Date:2024-12-23 19:04:32
UVALDE, Texas (AP) — A Uvalde mother who has pushed for tougher gun laws after her daughter was among the 19 children killed in the Robb Elementary School attack is on the ballot Tuesday in a bid to become mayor of the South Texas town, which was left divided by one of America’s deadliest mass shootings.
Kimberly Mata-Rubio, 34, would become Uvalde’s first female mayor and has talked about charting a new direction for the town of 15,000 residents, where differences persist over how to move forward from the tragedy. That includes continued calls for accountability over the hesitant response by police, who did not confront the teenage gunman for more than an hour.
Running against Mata-Rubio are Cody Smith, a former Uvalde mayor who left office in 2012, and Veronica Martinez, a local elementary school teacher.
This is the first mayoral election in Uvalde since the May 24, 2022, shooting. The gunman carried out the attack in a fourth-grade classroom with an AR-style rifle, a weapon Mata-Rubio has called on lawmakers to ban in the wake of losing her daughter, 10-year-old Lexi. Two teachers were also killed in the shooting.
Since her daughter’s death, Mata-Rubio has became one of Uvalde’s most outspoken parents. She has testified before Congress and helped launch a nonprofit called Lives Robbed that pushes for stricter gun laws.
The winner replace Mayor Don McLaughlin, who intensely criticized Texas state police in the aftermath of the shooting. He is stepping down to run next year as a Republican for a seat in the Texas Legislature.
veryGood! (52286)
Related
- NBA today: Injuries pile up, Mavericks are on a skid, Nuggets return to form
- Rep. George Santos pleads not guilty to fraud charges, trial set for September 2024
- Captured: 1 of 4 inmates who escaped Georgia jail through cut fence arrested 50 miles away
- Where you’ve seen Atlanta, dubbed the ‘Hollywood of the South,’ on screen
- Georgia House Republicans stick with leadership team for the next two years
- Hunt for killer of 18 people ends in Maine. What happened to the suspect?
- Spain’s report on Catholic Church sex abuse estimates victims could number in hundreds of thousands
- A spider web of Hamas tunnels in Gaza Strip raises risks for an Israeli ground offensive
- Brian Austin Green’s Fiancée Sharna Burgess Celebrates Megan Fox’s Pregnancy News
- Many Americans say they're spending more than they earn, dimming their financial outlooks, poll shows
Ranking
- 'The Penguin' spoilers! Colin Farrell spills on that 'dark' finale episode
- These Secrets About the Halloween Franchise Are Pure Pumpkin Spice
- Another first for JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, selling shares of the bank he’s run for nearly 2 decades
- How Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber Toasted to Kylie Jenner's New Fashion Line Khy
- Man waives jury trial in killing of Georgia nursing student
- Most New Mexico families with infants exposed to drugs skip subsidized treatment, study says
- Georgia’s largest utility looks to natural gas as it says it needs to generate more electricity soon
- Damian Lillard sets team record with 39 points in debut as Bucks defeat 76ers
Recommendation
-
New York eyes reviving congestion pricing toll before Trump takes office
-
Senate energy panel leaders from both parties press for Gulf oil lease sale to go on, despite ruling
-
Pittsburgh synagogue massacre 5 years later: Remembering the 11 victims
-
After another mass shooting, a bewildered and emotional NBA coach spoke for the country
-
After Baltimore mass shooting, neighborhood goes full year with no homicides
-
Judge denies Bryan Kohberger's motion to dismiss indictment on grounds of error in grand jury instructions
-
2 dead in Mozambique protests over local election results, watchdog says. Police say 70 arrested
-
People are protesting for Palestinians, Israel on Roblox. But catharsis comes at a price.