The Tejano singer trying to win back Latinos who voted for Trump, one quinceañera at a time

Bobby Pulido, a Tejano music star running as a Democrat, is trying to flip Texas's 15th congressional district by showing up at local quinceañeras, the 15th-birthday celebrations central to life in the Texas borderlands. He calls it his "quinceañera strategy." It grew out of a March video in which Republican Representative Monica De La Cruz, a two-term incumbent, mocked him as a quinceañera singer. Pulido answered with his own video offering to attend families' parties. More than 1,000 invitations arrived within a day, and the total later passed 5,000. He has now played at 81 of the events, each of which reaches many eligible voters in person and through livestreams, according to The Guardian.

The stakes extend beyond one seat. The district, which is 81% Mexican American, went to Donald Trump by 18 points in 2024, when Trump won 55% of Texas's Hispanic vote. A Pulido win could help Democrats take the House and could influence the tight Senate race between James Talarico and Ken Paxton, which depends heavily on Latino turnout.

Pulido, 53, pairs the strategy with relentless in-person campaigning, having attended 526 events. His 1995 hit Desvelado gives him near-universal name recognition in the region.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →