‘IN HER HONOR’

Mom of Uvalde Victim Vows It’s ‘Only the Beginning’ After Losing Mayoral Race

The school shooting was a major issue in the race, with Kimberley Mata-Rubio pushing for stricter gun laws and transparency from law enforcement agencies.

Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter, Lexi, was killed in the Uvalde mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in May 2022, lost her bid to become mayor of the Texas city on Tuesday with roughly 33 percent of the vote. Mata-Rubio ran against Cody Smith, a former Uvalde mayor who won on Tuesday night, and Veronica Martinez, an art teacher. “I’ll never stop fighting for you, Lexi,” Mata-Rubio wrote on social media after the results were finalized. “I meant it when I said this was only the beginning. After all, I’m not a regular mom. I’m Lexi’s mom.” The school shooting was a major issue in the mayoral race, with Mata-Rubio pushing for stricter gun laws and transparency from law enforcement agencies, which are still under investigation after more than 300 officers took more than an hour to intervene and kill the lone shooter. She told The Texas Tribune that she may run for another political position in the future to make sure that “change comes in her honor.”