MundoWho is Bobby Pulido, the music star who returned a Texas county to the DemocratsBBC Mundo•11/05/2026 – 02:40hs

“Desvelado” is the soundtrack of this Wednesday in many homes in the Rio Grande Valley, a region of Texas bordering Mexico.

The author of this 90s hit, Tejano music star Bobby Pulido, managed to regain a seat in the House of Representatives for the Democratic Party in this Tuesday’s midterm elections.

He did so by practically doubling the votes obtained by the Republican candidate, Mónica Cruz, in the 15th electoral district, which covers from the rural counties east of San Antonio to those bordering Mexican territory.

With this, he slammed the door on the turn of the electorate, more than 80% Latino, towards the Republican Party that began in the pandemic and was consolidated with majority support for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential elections.

Voters who in this southern territory were already dissatisfied with the rising cost of life and the aggressive immigration policies of the federal government.

His victory adds to the wave that this Tuesday led Democrats to take control of both chambers of the United States Congress and left key victories in Texas, including Gina Hinojosa as governor and James Talarico as senator.

It had been more than three decades since the Republican stronghold had elected a Democrat to state office.

“Tonight, you reminded the rest of this country of things that should not be forgotten (…). People deserve what they have. You have to show it, you have to keep your word, get up every time you go down. That is why you made this campaign possible, in this region and in this great state of Texas,” he stressed in his speech as winner.

From Grammy winner to politician

Pulido was one of the Democratic Party’s big bets for the legislative elections that coincide with the middle of the presidential term and are known in English as midterms.

And there are few local personalities who are better known than him in South Texas.

Son of the legendary musician Roberto Pulido, he was born on April 25, 1973 in Edinburg, a city located 26 kilometers from Mexico.

His family tree includes other illustrious names on both sides of the border, such as a former attorney, a former county judge and a great-grandfather who was the mayor of a town in the Mexican state of Nuevo León.

Pulido studied Political Science for a few years at a university in San Antonio, but he developed his career in music.

His romantic lyrics and melodies that fuse Mexican folklore, polka and country earned him 12 awards, including two Latin Grammys for best Tejano music album in 2022 and 2025, and multiple awards from Fiestas Mexicanas and Tejano Music Awards.

In November 2024 he announced that he would leave music to focus on politics, and began touring as an aspiring congressman the stages he had already performed on during his 30 years as a singer.

Under the name of Ranch Hallbegan a tour in which he combined music, proposals and conversations about the needs of the communities of South Texas.

During the rallies he addressed the audience in Spanish, something that analysts say brought him even closer to the electorate, and he sang at quinceañera parties.

“His victory is an example of how the use of celebrities resonates with Latino voters,” Álvaro J. Corral, political scientist and professor at the University of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley, tells BBC Mundo.

“But above all it teaches us that references to Hispanic culture and its customs continue to be a strong mobilizer for the Latino voter,” he continues.

“At a time when there is so much talk about social integration and the political weight of the Latino voter, it is a clear example that forging connections in cultural terms and in Spanish has electoral benefits,” he concludes.

Bet on values ​​and the economy

Pulido knew that to win in this part of Texas, it was necessary to connect with a conservative-leaning electorate.

Therefore, every time he could he presented himself as an “old-fashioned” candidate.

“The traditional way in which (Latino men) have been raised is disappearing and I think that generates a lot of frustration,” he told the American media Politico in an interview.

With this, he winked at that part of the electorate that notably turned to Trump in 2024, convinced by a rhetoric of shared conservative values ​​and the shielding of the border against irregular immigration.

“They want to be spoken to in a language they know, ‘Let me go out to work to support my family.'”

With statements along the same lines offered to the BBC, Pulido sought to distance himself from the image that the Democratic Party has at the national level and focused, as throughout his campaign, deliberately on the pocketbook.

“This is neither New York nor Los Angeles,” he said.

“When you start talking about issues like social justice, climate change and other issues like that, people don’t want to hear that first. They want to hear about the economy.”

His strategy, like that of many other Democratic candidates, responded to what the polls indicated: the cost of living was one of the voters’ main concerns.

This was the case throughout the country, but perhaps more strongly in this corner of South Texas, where families earn a third less than the national average and whose poverty rate is double that of the country.

According to data from the Census Bureau, 22.4% of families in the area live below the poverty line, compared to 10.6% of the US average.

And the average family income is US$79,721, while the national income exceeds US$105,300, according to the most recent figures (2024).

“A lot of people are disillusioned with both parties,” he told the BBC shortly before taking the stage during one of his final campaign events. “And I understand them.”

Today in many of those houses “Desvelado” may be playing or they may be dancing to “Se died of love”, another of their greatest hits.

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