President Joe Biden has picked Tucson Mayor Regina Romero to join a presidential delegation made up mostly of federal officials attending the inauguration of Mexico’s new President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.
The delegation, led by First Lady Jill Biden, includes federal officials and Romero, the only mayor invited to be part of the group. The delegation will travel to Mexico City to attend the inauguration on Oct. 1.
“I look forward to attending and feel incredibly honored to be part of such a distinguished delegation,” said Romero.
Other officials from the delegation traveling to the inauguration included Ken Salazar, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico; Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and others.
After Biden’s announcement on September 24, Romero said she was “super super surprised” by the invitation and that she felt honored to represent Tucson in the delegation.
Romero is the daughter of immigrants and the first Mexican-American woman elected mayor of Tucson, a city just 60 miles north of Mexico. She said those factors likely contributed to her invitation.
She also emphasized the importance of Mexico as Arizona’s largest trading partner, and the shared history of Sonora, Mexico and Tucson.
“We share the borderlands, we share the Sonoran Desert, we share culture and history,” Romero told The Arizona Republic.
Romero posted about the announcement on X, reiterating Mexico’s “historic” inauguration, as Sheinbaum will be the country’s first female president. Sheinbaum will replace Mexico’s current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who was elected in 2018.
Romero told The Arizona Republic that Sheinbaum’s inauguration is an important milestone for women everywhere. She said the U.S. has a chance to make up for Mexico’s historic election and elect Kamala Harris as the first woman to become president of the U.S.
Romero has been vocal in her support for Harris. The delegation announcement comes a month after Romero opened the Democratic National Convention. She also recently introduced Doug Emhoff during his campaign stop in Tucson.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mayor Regina Romero to join U.S. delegation at Mexican inauguration
