Latino Voters and South Texas Politics

Tejano music star Bobby Pulido defeated Ada Cuellar in the Democratic primary for Texas’ 15th Congressional District and will face Republican incumbent Rep. Monica De La Cruz in November. Pulido, whose campaign was boosted by nearly $1 million in late outside spending from Blue Dog Action’s political arm and strong name recognition with moderate, socially conservative Latino voters, campaigned as a centrist favoring a secure border without targeting law‑abiding immigrants, expanded health care access for poor and rural areas, and removing some tariffs that hurt agriculture; his win was framed as a proxy test between centrist and progressive Democrats in a district redrawn in 2025 to favor Republicans and carried by Trump by 18 points in 2024, making the general election an uphill battle.