Regina Romero – an Arizona native, born to Mexican parents – is poised to become the first woman and first Latina mayor of Tucson, Arizona. (Raises cup of coffee, cheers the air). Though the city has had a Latino mayor before, namely Estevan Ochoa – who earned the title in 1875 when the state was still a territory – 44-year-old Romero will still likely make history. The tentative long overdue feat is the result of more than a decade of preparation, an inclusive platform and support from organizations like Planned Parenthood.
According to NBC News, Romero won almost 49.5 percent of the votes on Tuesday, thus kicking her two Democratic challengers to the curb, becoming the party’s official candidate. First elected to city council in 2007, Romero was also the first Latina to earn that title in the city. Come November, voters will decide what happens next. Numbers show she’s in a good position to do just that. According to the Arizona Daily Star, Democrats account for 45 percent of all registered voters in the city. 32% of the city’s registered voters, on the other hand, are not registered with any political party.
Romero’s platform is portrayed as by and for working-class families. Her agenda, often directly targeting Trump’s stances and policies, is focused on strengthening the economy to work for more than just those at the top, as well as promoting sustainability by implementing a climate resiliency plan that doesn’t otherwise ignore or reject the realities of climate change.
The fact that Romero could very likely be the first Latina and first woman to hold the position is something she sees as a bonus rather than a prize. In conversation with one of the city’s daily newspapers, she said “Those facts are just frosting on the cake. The cake is my experience, my qualifications, the vision, the issues that I care about and I stand for. That’s the cake. The frosting is the fact that we’ve never elected a woman mayor in the city of Tucson.”
Elections take place on November 5.