Tejano singer Bobby Pulido runs for Congress in South Texas
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The gist
Tejano singer Bobby Pulido is the Democratic nominee for Texas's 15th district against Republican Monica De La Cruz.
The race tests whether Democrats can win back South Texas Latino voters.
Background
Bobby Pulido is a Latin Grammy-winning Tejano singer known as the "Golden Boy" of Tejano music and, at 53, a first-time political candidate. He is the Democratic nominee for Texas's 15th congressional district, which stretches from the outskirts of San Antonio to the Mexico border and is over 80 percent Latino. The district was formerly a Democratic stronghold but has swung rightward in recent years, and President Trump won it by 18 percentage points in 2024. Pulido has campaigned less as a Democrat and more on his personal popularity and a rejection of Trump, drawing large crowds at rallies and quinceañeras.
How it unfolded
- Mar 9, 2026Pulido speaks at a Texas Together Rally at Cine El Rey in McAllen, Texas.
- Jul 6, 2026Pulido faces scrutiny over a former bandmate in his congressional bid.
- Oct 16, 2026Pulido holds a rally at a ranch in Mercedes with other Democratic candidates.
- Oct 17, 2026He performs what he called the last concert of his 31-year music career, "La Ultima Desvelada," at Bert Ogden Arena in his hometown of Edinburg, telling some 9,000 fans he is going to Washington to serve them, not a party.
- Oct 21, 2026A poll commissioned by the San Antonio Express-News, El País and the nonprofit Puente News Collaborative finds likely voters favor Pulido 51% to 44% over De La Cruz.
- Oct 28, 2026AFP reports Pulido is vying to flip the 15th district and that he took the stage at a Weslaco rally alongside Los Tigres del Norte, performing "La Puerta Negra."
- Oct 29, 2026ABC News reports Pulido estimates he has performed at 80 quinceañeras as part of his campaign and warns a south Texas rally that the race is not in the bag without urgent turnout.
- Nov 2, 2026KTEP reports Pulido performed his final campaign-season concert in Edinburg with student musicians; analysts call the race a toss-up, several polls show him slightly ahead and one has him up by 7 points.
- Nov 3, 2026Midterm elections are held; PBS News reports De La Cruz faces Pulido in a newly redrawn version of the district that favors Republicans, and that she won her 2024 reelection by nearly 15 percentage points.
Who’s saying what
- Support
- Rally attendee Joe Jimenez, 44, said he previously voted for De La Cruz but now backs Pulido because "he's from here" and represents people like him, adding he felt De La Cruz "let us down."
- Caution
- De La Cruz hit Pulido for his lack of experience, arguing the election is not about choosing a singer for a quinceañera but whom voters should trust with their family's future.
- Party
- Pulido told a rally crowd, "We do not have this in the bag if we don't show up and vote with an urgency," and said he is going to Washington to serve voters, not a political party.
- Analysts
- Analysts call the race a toss-up, with several polls showing Pulido slightly ahead and one putting him up by 7 points.
Still unverified
In a leaked audio clip obtained by Punchbowl News, De La Cruz said an internal poll she had commissioned found her up by only 1 point.