Tejano musician Bobby Pulido launched a bid to represent Texas’ 15th Congressional District on Wednesday, offering Democrats a chance to unseat a Republican incumbent in a competitive district.
“I’ve spent decades using my voice to bring people together,” he said in his announcement video posted to X. “Now, I’ll use it to fight for the place we call home.”
The South Texas district has been a target for Democrats since Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz won the seat — which had historically leaned blue — in 2022 with more than 53 percent of the vote. In 2024, Donald Trump carried the district with a comfortable 59 percent, according to calculations from The Downballot, and the district was relatively unchanged in Texas’ latest redistricting.
Democrats heavily recruited the Latin Grammy Award-winning musician for the South Texas House seat, expecting him to take moderate stances on issues like immigration and oil and gas industry polices. Pulido hinted late last year that he planned to step back from music to run for office in 2026.
“I have strongly encouraged Bobby to run for Texas 15,” former Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela, who represented a neighboring district until 2022, said earlier this year. “His professional popularity, his political acumen and his center-right disposition make him the ideal candidate for that district.”
In his campaign announcement, Pulido pointed to securing the southern border “without destroying families” and lowering everyday costs as his primary focuses in a potential term representing the district.
“Our representatives in Washington don’t have the courage to stand up to greedy corporations, billionaire donors, or even their own party to do what’s right for us,” Pulido said in the announcement video. “Well let me tell you: I do.”
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