First Latina Elected Mayor Of Tucson

Gwen Aviles reports for NBC on the historic election of Regina Romero as Tucson first female and first Latina mayor.”

“Former Tucson City Council member Regina Romero was elected the city’s first female and first Latina mayor. The Democratic legislator, who won almost 55 percent of the vote, beat out independent Ed Ackerly and Green Party candidate Mike Cease.

“We want to change the face of politics in Arizona, one city at a time…we have politicians with new ideas, we want to reflect the diversity of the state,” said Romero, 44, in an interview with the Spanish-language network Telemundo.

In her campaign, Romero pledged to expand affordable housing in the city and put Tucson on the path to be carbon neutral by 2050. A Mexican American and the daughter of migrant workers, she also promised to advocate for the city’s immigrant communities.

Romero will now be the only Latina mayor in the country’s 50 most populous cities. While Tucson’s population is about 44 percent Hispanic, it has never elected a Latina mayor. Mexican-American businessman, Estevan Ochoa, was elected mayor of the city in 1875, back when Arizona was just a territory.”