Don McLaughlin

Not to be confused with Don MacLaughlin.

Don McLaughlin
Member-elect of the Texas House of Representatives from the 80th district
Assuming office
Succeeding	Tracy King
Mayor of Uvalde
In office 2014–2023
Preceded by	J. Allen Carnes
Succeeded by	Cody Smith
Personal details
Political party	Republican
Residence(s)	Uvalde, Texas

Don McLaughlin Jr. is an American politician who is a member-elect of the Texas House of Representatives from the 80th district. A Republican, he previously served as mayor of Uvalde and was in office during the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting.

Mayor of Uvalde

In 2014, McLaughlin was first elected to a two year term as mayor of Uvalde, Texas, the county seat of Uvalde County which is located about 80 miles west of San Antonio and 54 miles from the Mexico–United States border, succeeding J. Allen Carnes. He was re-elected unopposed in 2016 and 2018 to two year terms, and was elected to a four year term in 2020, defeating former Uvalde mayor George Garza by 915 votes.

During his mayorship, McLaughlin, a Republican, made several media appearances on Fox News. In September 2021, he appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight and described the Biden administration's border polices a "clown show," and he has also expressed on the network that the Hispanic community, which composes 72% of Uvalde's population, was "fed up" with Title 42.

Robb Elementary School shooting

McLauglin was serving as mayor of Uvalde when a shooting occurred at Robb elementary school, an Uvalde elementary school, on May 24, 2022. During the attack, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos fatally shot 19 students and 2 teachers in what would become the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.

In an interview with The Washington Post, McLauglin said he frantically rushed to Hillcrest Funeral Home, located across the street from Robb Elementary School, about 15 minutes after the first 9-1-1 call was made. Upon arrival, he describes having encountered a negotiator who was trying to call the shooter on the phone to no avail. McLaughlin reports not having known about the 9-1-1 calls being made by children in the school nor did he hear gunshots from his location across the street.

McLauglin (right) with Senator John Cornyn (left) in May 2022 following the shooting

The day after the shooting a press conference, which included McLaughlin, Governor Greg Abbott, Senator Ted Cruz, Senator John Cornyn, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and other officials, was held at Uvalde High School about the violent attack. Beto O'Rourke, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate who was challenging Abbott in the upcoming election, approached the stage and confronted Governor Abbott and other officials while Abbott was wrapping up his opening remarks about the shooting. O'Rourke accused Abbott of inaction on gun violence, saying "the time to stop the next shooting is right now and you are doing nothing" along with other remarks. Those on stage shouted him down, and O'Rourke received a mix of boos and cheers from the crowd. McLaughlin shouted at O'Rourke, “I can’t believe you’re a sick son of a bitch that would come to a deal like this to make a political issue." O'Rourke yelled toward the stage, "It's on you," and McLaughlin retorted, "It’s on assholes like you. Why don’t you get out of here." O'Rourke was then escorted out by security.