Democrat Bobby Pulido, a well-known Tejano musician, declared victory over Republican U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz on Tuesday, flipping a hotly contested South Texas congressional district that Donald Trump won by 18 percentage points in 2024. The Associated Press called the race shortly after 11:30 p.m. as Pulido held a substantial lead.
Pulido’s win in the 15th Congressional District came amid a broader leftward shift in the Rio Grande Valley, the mostly Latino region that anchors the district. De La Cruz made history in 2022 as the first Republican elected to a full House term in the Valley, but lost her seat after two terms.
“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,” Pulido said in a statement. “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.”
De La Cruz conceded Tuesday night, saying she had called Pulido. “Tonight, voters across our country have spoken, and we should listen,” she said in a statement. “Representing South Texas has been the greatest honor of my life, and I am proud of what we delivered for our community.”
Pulido, who describes himself as a “conservative Democrat,” campaigned on high costs, healthcare and the economic impact of immigration enforcement raids in the region, as Trump’s mass deportation campaign hit families and small businesses. He distanced himself from the national party on the Biden administration’s border policy and culture war issues, and frequently told voters he was neither “team red or team blue” but rather “team you.”
He also leaned into a nostalgic appeal to the era when South Texas was deep blue. “I’m the Democrat that you used to vote for,” Pulido said in an October interview, describing his pitch to Trump voters in the district.
De La Cruz worked to distance herself from the most unpopular elements of her party. Her ads emphasized her defense of Social Security and Medicare, and she voted with Democrats to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies. She said she had told Republican leaders their deportation strategy should be more narrowly focused on criminals. But she did not run away from Trump, rallying with the president in Corpus Christi last week.
By Election Day, the race was rated a toss-up by most election analysts. Pulido prevailed by winning Hidalgo County, where both he and De La Cruz are from, and overperforming past Democratic candidates in many rural counties.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The flip of the 15th District narrows Republicans' already thin House majority, giving Democrats a pickup in a region that had been moving rightward.
- Pulido's victory signals that Latino voters in South Texas remain persuadable for Democrats when candidates run on economic messaging and distance themselves from national party positions on border and culture issues.
- The result provides a template for Democrats seeking to reconnect with working-class Latino men, a demographic that has shifted toward Republicans in recent cycles.
Background
The 15th Congressional District stretches from Hidalgo County in the Rio Grande Valley to less populated areas east of San Antonio. It is majority Hispanic and had been a Democratic stronghold for decades until De La Cruz's 2022 win, part of a Trump-era realignment among Latino voters. In 2024, Trump carried Hidalgo County for the first time in over 50 years. Texas Republicans redrew the state's congressional map last summer, but the district retained its same partisan lean.
Key Perspectives
Bobby Pulido: Said his campaign was about high costs, healthcare and the economic impact of immigration enforcement, and that he is a “conservative Democrat” focused on representing voters rather than a party.
Monica De La Cruz: Conceded the race, saying voters have spoken, and expressed pride in her community service. In Congress, she voted with Democrats on some health care measures and urged a narrower deportation strategy.
What to Watch
- Whether Pulido caucuses with House Democrats or seeks to join the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, given his self-described “conservative Democrat” label.
- How the Trump administration’s deportation policies continue to affect the Valley, which was central to Pulido’s campaign.
- Whether national Democrats invest in holding the seat long-term or treat Pulido as a one-cycle recruitment success.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedPulido said: “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,” and “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.”Texas Tribune: ““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,” Pulido said in a statement. “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.””
- SupportedDe La Cruz said: “Tonight, voters across our country have spoken, and we should listen,” and “Representing South Texas has been the greatest honor of my life, and I am proud of what we delivered for our community.”Texas Tribune: ““Tonight, voters across our country have spoken, and we should listen,” she said in a statement. “Representing South Texas has been the greatest honor of my life, and I am proud of what we delivered for our community.””
- SupportedIn an October interview, Pulido said: “I’m the Democrat that you used to vote for.”Texas Tribune: ““I’m the Democrat that you used to vote for,” Pulido said in an interview in October, describing his campaign pitch to Trump voters in the district.”
- SupportedPulido defeated De La Cruz in the South Texas district.Texas Tribune: “But Pulido prevailed by winning Hidalgo County, where both he and De La Cruz are from, and overperforming past Democratic candidates in many of the more rural counties.”
- SupportedTrump carried the district by 18 percentage points two years before Pulido reclaimed it for Democrats.Texas Tribune: “Democrat Bobby Pulido declared victory over U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz on Tuesday, reclaiming a hotly contested South Texas district for his party just two years after President Donald Trump carried it by 18 percentage points.”
- SupportedPulido declared victory over De La Cruz on Tuesday.Texas Tribune: “Democrat Bobby Pulido declared victory over U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz on Tuesday, reclaiming a hotly contested South Texas district for his party just two years after President Donald Trump carried it by 18 percentage points.”
- SupportedThe Associated Press called the race shortly after 11:30 p.m., when Pulido held a substantial lead.Texas Tribune: “The Associated Press called the race shortly after 11:30 p.m., as Pulido held an enormous lead amid a broader leftward shift in the Rio Grande Valley, the mostly Latino region that anchors the 15th Congressional District.”
- SupportedPulido’s win came amid a broader leftward shift in the Rio Grande Valley.Texas Tribune: “The Associated Press called the race shortly after 11:30 p.m., as Pulido held an enormous lead amid a broader leftward shift in the Rio Grande Valley, the mostly Latino region that anchors the 15th Congressional District.”
- SupportedPulido campaigned on high costs, healthcare, and the humanitarian and economic impact of immigration enforcement raids in the region.Texas Tribune: “Pulido, who refers to himself as a “conservative Democrat,” focused his campaign on high costs, healthcare and the humanitarian and economic impact of immigration enforcement raids in the region, as Trump’s mass deportation campaign hit families and small businesses in the Valley.”
- SupportedDe La Cruz voted with Democrats to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies.Texas Tribune: “In Congress, she was one of a handful of Republicans to vote with all Democrats to extend enhanced premium subsidies for Affordable Care Act enrollees.”
- SupportedDe La Cruz rallied with Trump in Corpus Christi the week before Election Day.Texas Tribune: “But she did not run away from Trump, rallying with the president in Corpus Christi last week.”
- SupportedMost election analysts rated the race a toss-up by Election Day.Texas Tribune: “By Election Day, most election analysts rated the race as a toss-up.”