Uvalde Parents React to Greg Abbott Getting 60% of Vote in Their County

Five months after the deadliest school shooting in Texas history, dozens of family members of the children killed were hoping Tuesday's election would finally bring change.

They had thrown their support behind Democrat Beto O'Rourke after having been angered by Gov. Greg Abbott's resistance to take action to limit access to guns to prevent another massacre like the one at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde that left 19 children and two teachers dead in May.

O'Rourke called for raising the minimum age to legally purchase firearms to 21 and banning assault weapons, winning the support of at least 35 family members of the children killed by a gunman who legally bought assault-style rifles after turning 18.

Abbott "has done nothing to stop the next shooting," Ana Rodriguez, whose 10-year-old Maite Rodriguez was killed in the shooting, said in a campaign video for O'Rourke. "No laws passed. Nothing to keep kids safe in school. So I'm voting Beto for Maite."

But ultimately, Abbott handily won reelection to a third term. In Uvalde County, more than 60 percent of voters backed the Republican.

As the result came in, some parents expressed their disappointment and anger.

Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter Lexi was killed in the shooting, said Texas had sent her a clear message with the result.

"I wanted to send a message but, instead, the state of Texas sent me a message: my daughter's murder wasn't enough," Mata-Rubio wrote on Twitter.

"Just know, you f***** with the wrong mom. It doesn't end tonight. I'll fight until I have nothing left to give. Lexi's legacy will be change."

Brett Cross wrote that he was "most disappointed" by his community's backing of Abbott. His 10-year-old son Uziyah Garcia was killed in the shooting.

"Disappointed? Yes. Will we stop fighting absolutely [not]," Cross wrote. "This just lit a bigger fire under our a****. What I am the most disappointed in is Uvalde County voting for Abbott."

Veronica Mata, whose 10-year-old daughter Tess was killed, told the Texas Tribune: "Everybody has the right to vote for whoever they want, we just hoped that they would see where we were coming from and see what we wanted to change.

Berlinda Arreola, the grandmother of 10-year-old victim Amerie Jo Garza, said she had thought the much-criticized law enforcement response to the shooting and other factors like the state's abortion ban would propel O'Rourke to victory.

"There's nothing I can do that's going to make a difference," Arreola told the Tribune. "The only thing that is going to change people's minds is when it happens to them."

Newsweek has contacted families of Uvalde victims for further comment.