Former Uvalde mayor wins back job as mother whose daughter was killed at Robb Elementary loses bid

By ACACIA CORONADO
Associated Press

A mother in Uvalde, Texas, whose 10-year-old daughter was killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting has lost her run for mayor. Kimberly Mata-Rubio has pushed for stricter gun laws and police accountability since a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in the 2022 attack. Uvalde voters instead elected Cody Smith, a former Uvalde mayor who last held the job a decade ago. Mata-Rubio has been one of Uvalde’s most outspoken parents since the shooting. She has testified before Congress in support of new gun restrictions and called for firings over the hesitant police response at the school. Smith’s campaign did not address the mistakes surrounding the shooting.