# Bobby Pulido Flips Texas District > Bobby Pulido, a Tejano singer and lifelong Rio Grande Valley resident, aims to flip Texas’ 15th District from Republican to Democrat. - Title: Bobby Pulido Flips Texas District · Slate Magazine | Shortify - Summary: Bobby Pulido, a Tejano singer and lifelong Rio Grande Valley resident, aims to flip Texas’ 15th District from Republican to Democrat. - Keywords: bobby pulido, tejano, rio grande valley, texas, 15th district, democrat, republican, immigration, south texas, biden, trump, border patrol - Source: Slate Magazine — https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/09/texas-election-bobby-pulido-congress-monica-de-la-cruz-desvelado.html?via=rss - Author: Mary Harris - Published: 2026-09-28T14:00:00+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: bobby pulido, tejano, rio grande valley, texas, 15th district, democrat, republican, immigration, south texas, biden, trump, border patrol ## Bobby Pulido Bobby Pulido, a Tejano singer, is running for Texas’ 15th District to flip it from Republican to Democrat. > My dad was a migrant farmworker, and so was his dad. We don’t come from generational wealth. ## Tejano Star Pulido was a 1990s teen idol and a Tejano Backstreet Boy before the Backstreet Boys existed. > I was a political science major in college. I was a Texas Boys Stater in high school. ## Rio Grande Valley Resident Pulido has lived in the Rio Grande Valley since childhood, where his family lacks generational wealth. > My dad was a migrant farmworker, and so was his dad. We don’t come from generational wealth. ## Political Background Pulido studied political science and was a Texas Boys Stater in high school, favoring government and social studies. > I was a political science major in college. I was a Texas Boys Stater in high school. ## District Shift South Texas’ 15th District, which Trump won by 18 points in 2024, is now vulnerable to Democratic retake. > You’re running in texas’ 15th district, a district that donald trump won by nearly 18 points in 2024. ## Democrat Shift Pulido observed friends and neighbors shifting from Democratic to Republican voting in recent years. > I was talking to lots of people during this cycle, even the cycle before, as it was going right since ’23. ## Gun Policy Concerns Pulido notes rural areas in his district view firearms as sport and protection, not urban issues. > When you’re out in the country, first of all, there’s no traffic. You’re not dealing with a lot of people to begin with. ## Immigration Shift Pulido says immigration enforcement has become a two-tiered issue: border chaos and street enforcement. > Immigration is really a two-tiered issue down here. One thing is the border, and the other is enforcement in the streets. ## Asylum Process The asylum process has become overwhelmed, leading to catch-and-release policies that upset residents. > It was backlogged, so they would fly them in-country to wherever they wanted to go. ## Border Patrol Impact Many Latinos in the Rio Grande Valley work in Border Patrol, frustrated with Biden’s administration. > There’s a lot of people working in border patrol and law enforcement, and they were really angry with the biden administration. ## Housing Crisis Pulido states that immigrant labor is essential for construction in the Rio Grande Valley. > There’s not a building in the rio grande valley that was built without immigrant labor. Not one. ## Family Story Pulido shares a friend’s story of an 8-year-old American daughter facing deportation due to visa issues. > They have an 8-year-old american daughter. He’s trying to get her papers, and there was a technicality in there, she had crossed over and not said it and is getting deported. ## Future Outlook Pulido believes Democrats must moderate policies to appeal to rural voters and prevent Trump gains. > I think that a lot of people might make the assumption that a latino population might look at images of people on the street being captured by ice, what we’re seeing now, and have a very emotional reaction to it. ## What Happens Next Pulido aims to flip Texas’ 15th District to Democrat to counter Trump’s influence in South Texas. > I’m going to have to moderate on some issues to understand rural folk a little better. ## Key takeaway Bobby Pulido, a Tejano singer and lifelong Rio Grande Valley resident, runs for Texas’ 15th District to flip it from Republican to Democrat.