Bobby Pulido Wins Texas Democratic Primary: Tejano Star Eyes Congress
The Latin Grammy winner is heading to the general election. Bobby Pulido, the beloved Tejano music star turned congressional candidate, won the Democratic primary for Texas' 15th Congressional District on Tuesday, March 3 — and now faces one of the toughest general election climbs of the 2026 midterm cycle. Here is the full story.
Bobby Pulido Wins Democratic Primary by a Landslide
Pulido held a commanding lead over Ada Cuellar, a Harlingen-based emergency physician, once early voting numbers were released Tuesday evening. He received a total of 20,126 votes — 66.68% of the vote — over Cuellar's share in Hidalgo County alone.
Pulido now faces an uphill battle in unseating Republican Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz. The congressional district's boundaries were redrawn in 2025 as part of mid-decade redistricting efforts to further favor Republicans — efforts requested by President Trump.
Bobby Pulido's Victory Speech
While celebrating the primary win, Pulido made his mission clear: "Yes, winning a primary is an honor. Winning in November is a mission. We're running to fight for working families, for affordability, for opportunity, for respect. For every community. From the valley to the ranch lands."
Pulido closed his speech with a rally cry for supporters: "Tonight, celebrate. Be proud of what we've built. But tomorrow morning, we get back to work. Let's flip this seat. Let's make history and let's show the country exactly who we are. God bless South Texas."
Who Is Bobby Pulido?
Bobby Pulido is the son of a migrant farm worker turned Latin Grammy Award-winning artist — a homegrown South Texas figure who Democrats believe gives them their best shot at competing in the 15th District due to his fame and socially conservative profile.
More than just celebrity, Pulido's deep history in the Tejano genre gives him credibility with people in the area. "He is a homegrown guy in the border, and that gets you a lot of mileage," said an ethnomusicology professor at the University of North Texas who studies U.S.-Mexico border music.
Pulido is a newcomer to politics who still had two stops left on a farewell music tour when the race began. He acknowledged the double-edged nature of his celebrity: "I'm not going to lie, it opens the door. It doesn't seal the deal. 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."
The General Election: Why Texas 15 Is the Race to Watch
De La Cruz flipped the Hispanic-majority district in 2022 — a seat that was once traditionally blue — and Trump then won the district by 18 points in 2024. But in elections across the country since then, Latino voters have shown movement back toward Democrats, including in ruby-red precincts in Texas where Democrats had not won in over 40 years.
National Democrats view the race as one of their best shots at winning back a Latino-heavy district that once reliably voted blue. Pulido told CNN: "We've been getting our butts kicked for a long time. And we have to find out why that is. There's a lot of people that we've got to go bring back."
Pulido also framed his campaign around a fundamental pitch to Hispanic voters: "Hispanics want this — they want to be able to work hard and be rewarded by that hard work. And when you take away from that opportunity, that used to be promised to everybody in this country, they get mad. And that's what you're going to be seeing."
The Texas 15th general election is November 3, 2026. Pulido vs. De La Cruz is now one of the most closely watched congressional races in the country.
