Tucson City Councilwoman Regina Romero is close to making history.

The 44-year-old recently breezed past her Democratic opponents in the primary. If she beats independent Ed Ackerley and Green Party candidate Mike Cease on Nov. 5, she will be Tucson’s first female mayor and the first Hispanic to hold that post since territorial times.

What a feat.

Tucson is Arizona’s second-largest city and a liberal bastion – but apparently not liberal enough to elect a woman or a Hispanic since Estevan Ochoa became mayor in 1875.

Why now and why Romero? I’d like to think Tucson voters are sophisticated and smart enough to look past the candidates’ race and gender. They simply picked the person best equipped to lead the city.

Whatever the reasons, Romero’s primary victory over developer Randi Dorman and former state lawmaker Steve Farley speaks to her ability to articulate her message to the city of nearly 600,000 residents.

Romero is the daughter of migrant workers

While everyone should be laser-focused on her qualifications, vision and proposals, her background is undeniably a source of inspiration for Hispanics and women.

Romero is the daughter of migrant farmworkers, and she’s proud of her language and cultural heritage.

"Vamos a seguir hasta la victoria" – loosely translated as "onward to victory" – Romero told the crowd on Election Day. She ended her victory speech with a clap that was used as a rallying call during the farmworkers' movement. It starts slow and picks up to reflect the beat of the heart.

“I know a lot of young women will see me as an example,” Romero said. “That responsibility is pretty incredible, actually.”

You’d think, given her affinity for the struggles of immigrants, that Romero would support the sanctuary initiative also on the November ballot. It would make Tucson the first city in the state with that legal designation.

But, alas, she’s against it.

The initiative would restrict local law enforcement actions on federal immigration matters. But sanctuary cities also are a political hot button for President Donald Trump, who has tried to withhold federal funding from entities with that designation.

Yet she is against sanctuary cities measure

Romero argues the initiative isn’t necessary because Tucson has a long history of welcoming immigrants and has policies addressing the role of local law enforcement on immigration.

“I’ve been fighting for immigrant rights for many years,” she told me prior to her primary election victory. “The city of Tucson has led immigrant protection.”

Her biggest concern with the initiative is a clause that would keep the city from working with any federal agency on immigration matters without signed agreements. Police officers routinely work the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and other agencies on missing children cases, illegal contraband, internet crimes, and human and drug trafficking, she said.

But it’s also about money. And lots of it.

Conservative state lawmakers already are eyeing legislation to cut Tucson’s sizable portion of annual shared revenue, should voters approve the sanctuary initiative. That kind of a cut would hit the city’s coffers hard, Romero said.

“A $130 million hit to our budget will affect working families no matter their (immigration) status,” she said, noting that services such as meals on wheels and after-school programs would be gone.

“It’s about protecting the residents, undocumented or not, and that includes providing services,” she told me.

Her election would be a milestone

Romero’s other priorities include economic development, improving roads, investing in youth and undertaking citywide climate initiatives, including reducing vehicle carbon emissions by 50%.

“Regina has created a broad-based, nonpartisan core of business leaders, working families, neighborhood advocates and environmental supporters,” said Linda Mazon Gutierrez, president and CEO Emeritus of the Hispanic Women’s Corporation.

“Her message of creating a safe, just and sustainable city that provides economic opportunity resonated strong and loudly with Tucson across the majority of voting precincts,” Mazon Gutierrez added.

Tucson residents, women and Latinos elsewhere are right to cheer Romero’s milestone in her quest to become the first female mayor, the first Latina and the second Hispanic to hold that post.

Elvia Díaz is an editorial columnist for The Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1.