UVALDE – The City Council of Uvalde approved a special election for mayor, as Don McLaughlin announced he will run for the Texas House of Representatives.
The special election to fill the mayor’s seat will take place on Nov. 7. The City Council approved the resolution calling for the election during a meeting on Tuesday.
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“Words matter, if I would have said ‘I intend to run’ instead of ‘I am running,’ we wouldn’t be having this today,” McLaughlin said.
The Uvalde Leader-News reported that McLaughlin announced his candidacy earlier this month. He is running for District 80, which will become vacant as State Rep. Tracy King plans to retire and not seek reelection.
McLaughlin has served as mayor since 2014 and has been one of the most visible leaders in Uvalde following the May 24, 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, where 19 students and two teachers were killed.
“It has been my privilege and my honor to be a part of the city and to serve the people of Uvalde, and the city staff, and the police department and all, through all the trials and troubles and everything. I wouldn’t trade it for all the money in the world.”
He was most recently re-elected in 2020 to a four-year term.
In a news release announcing his run for the House, he said entering the race was a “no-brainer.”
“I have and will always protect and serve the people of Uvalde. We have a crisis in Austin. Out of touch members of the establishment class have been ignoring the concerns of everyday Texans. Property tax relief, school choice, foreign land ownership, border control-- these are all issues that should have been dealt with sessions ago. I am entering this race to be a strong voice for the people of District 80. I have fought them before, I am fighting for them today and I will continue to fight for them and the issues they care about most in Austin,” McLaughlin said.
Following the election on Nov. 7, the new mayor will take office on the 24th day after the general election. The mayor’s term lasts four years.
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