Uvalde Former Mayor Elected Again Over Mother of School Shooting Victim

Uvalde mayoral candidate Kimberly Mata-Rubio (L) and campaign manager Dr. Laura Barberena, canvass a Uvalde, Texas neighborhood on Oct. 21, 2023. AP Photo/Darren Abate

The former mayor of Uvalde, Texas, has been elected as mayor again following a landslide victory against his biggest challenger, whose daughter was killed during the Robb Elementary School shooting in 2022.

Former Mayor Cody Smith was elected on Nov. 7 to finish the term of Mayor Don McLaughlin, who has served in the role since 2014 and is stepping down to run for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives.

Mr. Smith garnered 1,667 votes in the special election while his biggest competitor, Kimberly Mata-Rubio, garnered 837 votes, according to Texas Public Radio. Elementary school art teacher Veronica Martinez received 46 votes.

Ms. Mata-Rubio’s daughter, Lexi Rubio, was one of 19 children killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting in May 2022. It was one of the deadliest mass shootings in America. Two teachers were also killed.

The mother, an advertising executive and former assistant newspaper editor, had campaigned heavily on gun control. She said she was running for mayor to honor her late daughter and to represent underserved residents in the community.

Mr. Smith, an executive at a local bank, had been elected as a city council member in 1995, serving three consecutive, four-year terms. He also served two terms as mayor of Uvalde more than a decade ago, from 2008 to 2012.

His campaign focused heavily on bringing the community back together in the wake of the past year’s deadly shooting, and he said he plans to form a committee of victims’ family members, school officials, and city leaders to discuss how best to memorialize the 21 people who lost their lives.

A memorial area outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on July 13, 2022. Kaylee Greenlee Beal/Reuters

Mr. Smith will serve a one-year term as mayor of Uvalde, a city with a population of around 15,000.

“I look forward to working with Kim and Veronica,” Mr. Smith told reporters Tuesday, according to the San Antonio Express-News. “All of us wanted the same thin—we want this community to heal.”

Ms. Mata-Rubio congratulated Mr. Smith on his win and said she looks forward to working with him to bring the community together. The two shared a warm embrace.

In a statement issued via her campaign, Ms. Mata-Rubio said that while she was “disappointed” by the results, she has no regrets.

“I know this isn’t the outcome we wanted, or worked so hard for. But I want to thank everyone for their support and for believing in this vision for our community,” she said.

‘We’d Already Won’

“When I started this campaign, I told my team that ‘no matter what happened, in many ways, we’d already won.’ By running this campaign—and with all of your help—we showed Texas and our entire country that Uvalde is bigger than the tragedy that happened here.

“Uvalde is stronger than the forces that try to divide our community,” Ms. Mata-Rubio said.

“I’m proud of what we did. Supporters from across the country are proud of what we did. And I know that Lexi is proud of what we did. As for me, I don’t know exactly what comes next. But I do know that my commitment to our cause doesn’t end with this campaign,” she continued.

“I’m still committed to making Uvalde a better place to live. I’m still committed to supporting this community that has given me so much. And I’m still committed to creating change in Texas and across the United States,” the mother concluded.

Separately, she told The Texas Tribune that she will “continue to fight for accountability and transparency for my daughter,” and that she may consider pursuing another political office in the future.

A 77-page report published by the Texas State House of Representatives following the shooting at Robb Elementary School stated that there were “shortcomings and failures” across the board by both law enforcement and UCISD in its response.

The shooting prompted a new Texas law aimed at bolstering public school safety by requiring, among other things, armed security guards at the nearly 9,000 public school campuses across the state.

Meanwhile, the Robb Elementary campus is now permanently closed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.