Tejano singer Bobby Pulido declares victory over Republican incumbent in Texas House race
Bobby Pulido, a Tejano singer who left music to run for office, declared victory on Tuesday night, 3 November 2026, over Republican incumbent Monica De La Cruz in Texas's 15th Congressional District. The Texas Tribune reported the result from the district, which covers South Texas.
Tejano is the Texas-Mexican style built on accordion, brass and dance rhythms. It has been a staple of Texas dance halls and radio for decades. Pulido's name is well known in that world, and his father, Roberto Pulido, was also a Tex-Mex singer.
Billboard reported that Pulido flipped the seat for Democrats in the midterm elections. Midterms are the national votes held in the middle of a president's term, when every seat in the U.S. House of Representatives is up for election. The district had been held by Republicans for four years before this race, and De La Cruz was the incumbent seeking a second term.
Pulido was born Jose Roberto Pulido Jr. in Edinburg, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley. He has won two Latin Grammy Awards, the prizes given by the Latin Recording Academy. In late 2024, he announced he was retiring from music to pursue a career in politics starting in 2026. The Associated Press described him as a political newcomer when he entered the congressional race.
Pulido describes himself as a conservative Democrat. That label can sound like a contradiction to voters used to clear party lines, but it is his own description of where he stands. The Texas Tribune's live coverage noted that the district was among the most closely watched contests of the 2026 cycle.
For Latin music fans, the result means a performer known for stage work now holds a seat in Washington, if the outcome stands. Pulido's next steps, including when he would take the oath of office, will depend on the formal count and the House calendar. The race in the Rio Grande Valley was one of several Texas contests that Reuters described as a shift in the state's politics after the election. Pulido's own statement, and the official results once they are fully counted, will set the final picture.
