[5] Raised by her farmworker parents in Somerton, Arizona, Romero became the first person in her family to graduate from college and the first to vote.

She won the Democratic primary in August 2019, defeating state senator Steve Farley and developer Randi Dorman.

[10][11] After winning the mayoral primary, her main general election opponent was Ed Ackerley, who was a longtime Democrat running as an independent in hopes of receiving conservative votes.

Money was included in the budget to upgrade roads, acquire new public safety equipment, and to keep up the city's fare-free system.

[15] Proposition 411 is a 0.5% sales tax designed to generate revenue specifically for residential street repairs which passed in 2022 with 57,024 votes.

If passed, Tucson would agree to a new deal with a local power suppliers that will raise residents' electricity bill by less than $1 a month.