Not every candidate for Congress would be welcome at a quinceañera. Then again, most candidates are not Bobby Pulido, the Latin Grammy-winning Tejano singer. Shortly after Pulido won his primary to be the Democratic nominee for Texas’s 15th district, his Republican opponent, Rep. Monica De La Cruz, remarked that “This election isn’t about who you want performing at your niece’s quinceañera,” referencing the traditional coming-of-age celebration for a girl’s 15th birthday. Pulido responded by issuing an open invitation to perform at quinceañeras throughout the district along the Texas-Mexico border.
“My schedule on weekends is crazy now, with quinceañeras, we've averaged, two, sometimes three a night,” he told The Independent in April. In addition, he has been invited to a 90-year-old’s birthday party and a quinceañera, the male equivalent. Beyond the novelty, Pulido’s star power and his willingness to leverage it for his campaign could be key to helping Democrats win back the House of Representatives and, more importantly, Hispanic voters.
Political Background and Strategy
Much of the attention in Texas has focused on the marquee Senate race between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and MAGA Attorney General Ken Paxton. However, Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico cannot succeed without strong margins among Hispanic voters, who constitute 80 percent of the district. Pulido believes he can win back Hispanic voters who briefly flirted with Donald Trump in 2024.
“I think people right now are very disappointed with this administration, there's a lot of buyer's remorse, because people are still seeing what it really means,” Pulido said. His popularity might be the deciding factor. Tejano music, sung almost exclusively in Spanish, incorporates elements of mariachi, blues, and polka—a remnant of German influence in Texas. Pulido has won the Latin Grammy for Best Tejano Album twice.
Pulido studied political science at St. Mary’s University before leaving to pursue his singing career. “And I reached a point in my career that I said, ‘you know, I want to try to help my people and represent them,’” he explained.
Hispanic Voter Trends
Democrats’ challenges with Hispanic voters cannot be overstated. Despite Trump’s verbal attacks on Mexican-Americans and his family separation policy during his first term, he gained ground with Hispanic voters in 2020, particularly in the Rio Grande Valley, where most residents are Hispanic or Tejano. In 2024, Trump improved his margins and flipped the region.
“It's in our DNA to try to do better than our parents did,” Pulido said. “And a lot of times I think the Democratic Party, first of all, kind of took us for granted.” In 2022, after redistricting, Republicans told Hispanic voters that choosing the GOP would make their lives more affordable. “People are starting to kind of realize that, okay, there's a lot of things that they have done down here that have just shown that it's anti Latino,” he added, pointing to the Trump administration’s targeting of funds for Hispanic-serving institutions and the impact of deportations on small businesses.
Democratic Support and Polling
Democrats are confident in Pulido. On Monday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee named him one of eight candidates for its “Red to Blue” program. However, Democrats still face challenges. According to an Economist/YouGov poll, only 38 percent of Hispanics would vote for a generic Democrat for Congress, compared to 36 percent for a generic Republican if the midterm were held today.
Immigration remains a divisive issue. While many Hispanics disapprove of Trump’s immigration policies, they also disapproved of the spike in immigration during the Biden administration. Many Hispanics work for agencies like ICE and CBP, and some Democrats have called for dismantling ICE. Pulido advocates for a middle ground: “We don't like a free for all. I mean, nobody's saying, open the gates and let everybody come in. But at the end of the day, you have to treat people with dignity. A lot of the people here, including many Border Patrol agents, I might add, their grandparents came here illegally.” He also criticized the Trump administration’s attempt to end birthright citizenship, noting that over half of Rio Grande Valley residents are citizens because of it.
Economic Concerns
Many Latino voters prioritize the economy, which helped Trump due to high prices. The median income in the 15th district is $62,554, significantly below the national average of $83,730. Pulido argues that economic and immigration issues are interconnected: “Right now that's going to change a lot of voter sentiment because small businesses relied on people from Mexico coming and bringing their tourist dollars here. That's no longer working right now.”
Democrats hope Pulido can reverse their fortunes with Hispanic voters. During the primary, he campaigned alongside Talarico, who benefited from strong Hispanic support. “He's, you know, obviously running his race, and I'm running mine and I backed him up. I want him to win. I really think he's got what it takes, but I'm sure at some point we'll probably get together,” Pulido said. For now, he will continue campaigning at quinceañeras. “I love it, because these are people that are new people that you, in a normal situation in a campaign, you're not going to be in front of.”
