Get TPR's best stories of the day and a jump start to the weekend with the 321 Newsletter — straight to your inbox every day. Sign up for it here.
The mother of one of the children killed in the Uvalde school shooting is now running for mayor. Kimberly Rubio, an advertising executive, said she wants to represent voices in the community that she feels are underserved.
She announced her run for mayor of Uvalde on social media this week.
Since the death of her daughter Lexi, Rubio, 34, formed a non-profit called “Lives Robbed.” Her family teamed up with three other families that also lost loved ones in the shooting to form the group. It has traveled to Washington D.C. several times to push for gun reforms.
Rubio has personally met with Gov. Greg Abbott and other Texas politicians to ask for changes in the state’s gun laws.
They are asking for a ban on assault style weapons, and to raise the minimum age to purchase these types of weapons from 18 to 21. The group is also asking for red flag laws and increased background checks.
Don McLaughlin, Uvalde's incumbent mayor, recently announced he will step down to run for the Texas House of Representatives. The Uvalde City Council recently approved a resolution that outlines procedures for a special election for mayor on Nov. 7.
McLaughlin has served as Uvalde's mayor since 2014. He became a visible public figure following the Robb Elementary school shooting last year.
In a post on Twitter, Rubio said of her mayoral candidacy that she was honoring her daughter’s life with action, and that this is “only the beginning”.
