Latin Grammy Winner Bobby Pulido Enters High-Stakes Texas Congressional Race

Tejano music star Bobby Pulido is running for Congress in South Texas as Democrats hope his celebrity status can help win back Hispanic voters. The Latin Grammy winner faces a tough primary against doctor Ada Cuellar before potentially challenging Republican incumbent Monica De La Cruz.

PHARR, Texas — The familiar voice of Latin Grammy winner Bobby Pulido echoes through an adult day care facility in South Texas, his Spanish lyrics floating from corner speakers as he prepares to make his pitch for votes in his congressional campaign.

Wearing his signature cowboy boots, dark denim, leather jacket and cream-colored cowboy hat, the Democratic candidate enters the facility where seniors are engaged in card games and friendly conversation. While some inquire about the man in Western attire, others pay little attention until the music stops and Pulido takes the microphone.

Speaking in Spanish, he urges the crowd to vote and encourage their children to do the same. “Because the truth is that we are living in difficult times right now and it is important to make a change,” he tells them.

The Tejano music icon, who has spent thirty years performing the genre that originated in South Texas fields and neighborhoods, represents the Democratic Party’s strategy to regain ground with Hispanic voters who have increasingly supported Republicans during the Trump years. Party leaders view him as their strongest candidate to unseat U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, the sole Republican House member representing Texas’ Rio Grande Valley in a district specifically designed to protect her seat.

The region features three competitive contests this election cycle, placing it at the heart of the fight for House control after Texas Republicans redrew district maps at former President Donald Trump’s urging to benefit their party. Tuesday marks the primary elections.

Despite being new to political campaigns, Pulido continues his farewell concert tour with two remaining performances, including one scheduled this weekend in Mexico. His Democratic primary opponent is Ada Cuellar, a physician and law school graduate campaigning from a more progressive position. Cuellar contends that Pulido lacks connection with voters and that both he and party leaders overestimate the value of his musical fame.

The competitive U.S. Senate primary has spilled into the congressional race, with state Rep. James Talarico supporting Pulido while U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett backs Cuellar.

Whoever wins the Democratic nomination for the 15th Congressional District faces an uphill battle in November. De La Cruz secured victory by 14 percentage points in 2024, before Republicans adjusted district boundaries to strengthen her advantage further.

The territory Pulido seeks to represent spans 300 miles from the Mexican border northward through ranch land and small communities. The district’s population is 81% Hispanic, economically disadvantaged compared to state and national averages, and predominantly Catholic. It exemplifies the movement of working-class Hispanic voters toward the Republican Party, a significant political development of recent years.

Within the redrawn district, Democratic presidential support declined from 55% for Hillary Clinton in 2016 to just 41% for Kamala Harris in 2024.

Acknowledging the area’s cultural conservatism, Pulido has adopted centrist positions that sometimes frustrate progressive activists. On abortion, he explains his personal opposition while supporting women’s right to choose.

“Even if I personally would not be OK with it, I still respect that other people might make their own decisions and that we have to be OK with that,” he stated.

The candidate has faced criticism for years of provocative social media content, including offensive jokes and links to adult websites. He once shared a video appearing to show him urinating on Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star, later revealing it was a prank involving a water bottle.

“My sense of humor on social media — and it’s very much in Spanish, I have a lot of fans in Mexico — sometimes that humor doesn’t translate,” Pulido acknowledged, expressing embarrassment over some past posts.

Primary rival Cuellar emphasizes her healthcare system experience and policy knowledge, contrasting her background with Pulido’s entertainment career.

“He doesn’t really understand the issues or have the solutions that I have,” she argued.

Running a more liberal campaign, Cuellar particularly challenges Pulido’s abortion stance as misaligned with Democratic voters.

She views Pulido’s threat stemming not from his fame but from strong backing by Washington and local Hidalgo County establishment figures. Unnamed officials have pressured her to withdraw from the race, Cuellar claims.

“I am like a scrappy underdog, and I’ve been one my whole life,” Cuellar said. “So I really am not concerned about the celebrity itself, but I’m fighting this establishment pressure, and that’s really the biggest challenge I’m faced with.”

Self-funding her campaign to match Pulido’s spending, she has broadcast television advertisements while he has not.

National Democratic leadership considers Pulido’s moderate approach better suited for the general election against De La Cruz. Despite generally supporting Trump and House leadership, she was among just 17 House Republicans voting with Democrats to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies.

At a Trump rally in Corpus Christi Friday, De La Cruz highlighted their collaboration on pressuring Mexico to release water owed from the shared Rio Grande basin.

“We have together delivered for Texas and delivered for our nation by turning all of South Texas red, and we will continue to keep Texas red,” De La Cruz declared.

Back at My Morning Star Adult Day Care, Pulido’s music resumed as he moved between tables, greeting visitors with handshakes and conversation in English or Spanish based on their preferences.

“I’ll ask the sky to not make me suffer anymore,” his recorded voice croons over accordion and percussion, telling a tale of heartbreak and yearning. The 1997 hit “Le Pediré” ranks among his career highlights spanning three decades.

Pulido earned Latin Grammy Awards for Best Tejano Album in 2022 and 2025, plus received an American Grammy nomination this year.

His musical roots run deep in Tejano culture, which combines Mexican folk traditions with European dance styles introduced by Czech, German and Polish immigrants. The genre remains closely tied to this specific Central and South Texas region, where many residents trace ancestry to the Republic of Texas era before statehood.

His father, Roberto Pulido, pioneered the genre, which has declined in popularity since its 1990s peak when Selena achieved mainstream success.

Beyond celebrity status, Bobby Pulido’s generational connection to Tejano music provides authentic credibility with local residents, according to Cathy Ragland, a University of North Texas ethnomusicology professor specializing in border music.

“He is a homegrown guy in the border, and that gets you a lot of mileage,” she observed.

Sitting outside the day care center, Pulido acknowledged that fame helps in political campaigns but doesn’t guarantee victory.

“I’m not going to lie, it opens the door. It doesn’t seal the deal,” Pulido reflected.

“I don’t think people vote for you because you’re famous. They’ll listen to you because you’re famous, and then they’re going to decide if they want to vote for you or not.”