McAllen City Commissioner Javier Villalobos announced Wednesday that he's running for mayor.

Villalobos was elected to the City Commission in March 2018, when McAllen held a special election to replace City Commissioner Richard Cortez — who resigned to run for county judge.

He represents District 1, which covers northeast McAllen.

Villalobos announced his candidacy just two days after Mayor Jim Darling said he wouldn't run for re-election.

“Jim has proudly and diligently served our great city as attorney, Commissioner, and Mayor. His successor has big shoes to fill,” Villalobos said in a news release.

Before he joined the City Commission, Villalobos served as chairman of the Hidalgo County Republican Party. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also appointed Villalobos to the Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board.

As an attorney, Villalobos has represented cities and other governmental entities in Hidalgo County, including the city of Progreso, the city of Donna, the city of San Juan and the La Joya Housing Authority.

Villalobos earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Southwest Texas State University, which is now Texas State University, and a law degree from the Thurgood Marshal School of Law.

“I want to put my knowledge, experience, and skills to continue improving our community and assisting our constituents," Villalobos said in the news release. "I want to continue to diligently protect our constituents’ interests in a fiscally conservative manner."

Filing for the May election starts in January.