The Texas musician who campaigned at concerts and quinceañeras as a "conservative Democrat" just flipped a key congressional seat in Texas.
Bobby Pulido, the Tejano star from South Texas, unseated U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz on Tuesday, Nov. 4, in the state's 15th Congressional District, a former Democratic stronghold the party lost due to a shift to the right by Latino voters in 2022.
"Thank you South Texas, tonight we made history," the congressman-elect said in a statement. "For over 30 years, you played my music at your weddings, your quinceañeras, and your carne asadas, and the past year you welcomed me into those same celebrations on the campaign trail. Tonight, you trusted me with something even bigger than a song, you trusted me with your future
and I will work hard everyday to honor it."
Pulido, 53, won the Rio Grande Valley district, east of San Antonio, by a sizable margin after campaigning on affordability, health care, getting corporate money out of elections and the negative impacts of President Donald Trump's mass deportation raids, while distancing himself from the national Democratic Party on other border policy and culture war issues. He often told voters, "I'm not team red. I'm not team blue. I'm team you."
Pulido told USA TODAY in an interview in June that people in the Rio Grande Valley "just want the right kind of Democrat" to vote for.
"It's somebody that still wants to respect the conservative values that we have but then also embraces the Democratic parts that we have – helping each other out and helping people," he said.
The Latin Grammy-winning artist campaigned at concerts, weddings and graduation parties. And after a dig by De La Cruz, who said the race wasn't about "who you want performing at your niece's quinceañeras," Pulido went viral doing just that.
The Grammy-nominated musician and former teen idol is a big name in the world of Tejano music – a multicultural style with roots in traditional Mexican, European and American music that counts Selena Quintanilla-Pérez and Little Joe among its stars – and is the son of one of its pioneers, Roberto Pulido.
The younger Pulido rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, with his Billboard top 10 regional Mexican albums "Desvelado" and "Enséñame." The three-time Tejano Music Awards male entertainer of the year won Latin Grammys for best Tejano album in 2022 and 2025 and was nominated for best Mexican music album at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
This was Pulido's first time running for office, and in October, the singer held what was dubbed the final concert of his 31-year career.
"To me, public service is pretty simple. It's looking somebody in the eye and saying, 'I got your back,'" Pulido said on stage. "It's fighting for our values, our way of life, and doing what's right, even when it's hard."
He continued, "I'm not going to Washington to serve a political party. I'm going to serve you."
Contributing: Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tejano star Bobby Pulido flips Republican congressional seat in Texas
