Texas' second-largest city could soon be governed by a Latina if San Antonio's 1.4 million residents choose former state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte in a runoff election set for Saturday, Fox News Latino reported.

Van de Putte is challenging Acting Mayor Ivy Taylor, who took over the city government when Julian Castro stepped down to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama administration. A pharmacist and mother of six children, she received nearly 31 percent of the vote in the election's first round last month -- with the incumbent coming in at 28 percent.

Latinos comprise slightly more than 63 percent of the population in San Antonio, but Van de Putte, who is of Mexican descent but uses her husband's Dutch surname, has said she does not want to "exploit" her heritage by playing it up for political gain.

If elected, Van de Putte has promised to focus on improving the intersections throughout the city and to push for at least 75 percent of a 2017 bond package to improve the city's safety, according to La Prensa, a local bilingual publication.

"San Antonio has just grown so fast in the last few years. Right now we have over $1.2 billion in deferred payments for maintenance in our sidewalks and drainage, and the city has not kept up with basic infrastructure needs," she argued. "The ones that are most important are the ones that deal in health and safety."

In a televised debate between her and Taylor in late May, Van de Putte questioned the acting mayor about an incident in which shots were fired at Taylor's parked car and bail-bonds business; the challenger suggested the incumbent should have filed a criminal complaint against the suspect in the case.

"How can the citizens of San Antonio expect you to stand up for the safety of our families when you won't stand up for the safety of your own family?" Van de Putte asked, according to My San Antonio.

Taylor, meanwhile, noted that she was disappointed that someone of Van de Putte's stature "would politicize a tragedy."