Mother of Uvalde school shooting victim now running for mayor

Mother of Uvalde victim running for mayor

A woman who started a charity to honor her slain daughter's life is now also running for Mayor of Uvalde.

UVALDE, Texas - The mother of a student killed in the Uvalde school shooting is now running for mayor.

Kimberly Mata-Rubio lost her daughter Alexandria "Lexi" Rubio in the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary. Eighteen of Lexi's classmates and two teachers were also killed.

"I left a piece of my heart at Robb Elementary, and she never made it home to me," said Rubio at a rally in October.

Since Lexi's death, Rubio has advocated for gun violence prevention and started the nonprofit Lives Robbed alongside the families of other victims. The nonprofit calls for state and federal legislative changes to reduce gun violence.

MORE ON THE UVALDE TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING

The Uvalde City Council recently voted in favor of a special election in November for the seat after current mayor Don McLaughlin announced plans to resign and run for the Texas House, says KSAT. McLaughlin has been mayor since 2014 and won re-election in 2020.

Following the Nov. 7 election, the new mayor will take office on the 24th day after the general election. The mayor’s term lasts four years.

Candidates have until Sept. 6 to file.

FOX 7 Austin's reporting partner KSAT contributed to this report.