The “Desvelado” singer faces a tough run as a Democrat in a redrawn Latino district that mainly voted for President Donald Trump.
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Tejano music star Bobby Prido wants to represent South Texas in Congress, but Democrats have to compete in red-waving seats.
On September 17, the 54-year-old Latin Grammy Award-winning singer launched a campaign to remove Rep. Monica Dela Cruz, a two-term GOP MP in the 2026 midterm elections. Parid faces a tough run in mostly Latinx areas where President Donald Trump has made historic profits.
Pulido is known for his heartbreaking 1990s hits such as “Desvelado” and “Se Murió de Amor.” This hit popularized Tejano along with things like the late Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, considered the “queen of Tejano Music.” Now, Purid, from Rio Grande Valley, wants to once again defend his area in Washington, DC.
“I’ve used my voice to bring people together for decades,” Purid says in a video launching a campaign focusing on his Spanglish in Texas’ 15th Congressional District. “Now we use it to fight for what we call home, because this is the only stage that really matters and is worth fighting.”
Democrats hope that the midterm swings over Trump and gives control of the House of Representatives. Pulido is set to face the Democratic primary first. This includes so far local emergency medical doctor, Dr. Ada Cuellar.
In 2024, the hit singer announced that he would move away from his decades-long music career to focus on politics, but this is the execution of his first campaign.
He made it clear that he is not running as a member of the Democratic rebel left wing.
His campaign video references numerous immigrants in the area, but Pulido told Rolling Stone that he couldn’t win in the district. Voters previously supported Democrats with a huge number of votes, but Trump won the district in 2024 with nearly 60% of the vote.
He told Rolling Stone that the seats need a “tailored candidate” to win. His video points to his family roots, including how his father worked as an immigrant farm worker.
“I’m not Team Red, I’m not Team Blue,” he says in the campaign video. “South Texas, I’m your team.”
Republicans point to their success in South Texas as evidence of growing popularity among Latinos.
Insurance agent De La Cruz turned the district’s red upside down in 2022 after Democrat Vicente Gonzalez Jr. dropped out while facing tough reelection prospects in a re-edited seat in Republican support. De La Cruz was easily re-electioned in 2024.
In news that Parid had taken part in the race, Della Cruz said politics could wait until 2026.
“Now I’m offering what the South Texans have chosen to do to me. I’ve set aside millions of dollars to grow our local economy, strengthened police and border security, saved farms, and protected social security and Medicare,” she said in a statement. “These are my priorities and I’m proud of the results I have achieved for the community through common sense leadership.”
In August, GOP State Senators from Texas re-drawn Congressional seats to stem the democratic waves of the mid-term. However, the Texas Tribune reported that the 17.9% margin for the newly drawn district for Trump remains the same compared to 2024.
The district travels north through southeastern Texas from the border near Hidalgo, through Native Edinburgh in Purido around Corpus Christi, where Tejano singer Serena has her roots.
