Bobby Pulido in 10 songs: The music of the Tejano singer who flipped Texas’s 15th District

Tejano music singer Bobby Pulido, 53, has defeated Republican incumbent Monica De La Cruz in the November 3 U.S. midterm elections, flipping Texas’s 15th Congressional District back to the Democrats. The musician won by more than 20 percentage points: with 95% of ballots counted, he led his opponent 62.32% to 37.68%, according to preliminary results reported by the Associated Press. The victory ends four years of Republican representation in a South Texas district that U.S. President Donald Trump carried by 18 points in 2024.“For more than 30 years, you’ve played my music at your weddings, your quinceañeras and your backyard barbecues,” Pulido said as he celebrated his victory on Tuesday night. The singer has built his career across South Texas, a region where Tejano and Tex-Mex music form an integral part of the cultural tradition of the Mexican American community.That close connection to the community also became a campaign asset. After De La Cruz argued that the election should not come down to who families would rather hire to sing at a niece’s quinceañera, Pulido responded that such celebrations are an important rite of passage and a tradition that brings communities together. He then launched a campaign offering to perform at quinceañeras throughout the 15th District, which stretches from eastern San Antonio to the Rio Grande Valley.According to The Texas Tribune, his campaign received more than 1,000 requests in the first 24 hours, and within weeks that number had surpassed 2,700, including invitations to birthday parties, bar mitzvahs and graduation celebrations. The surge in Pulido’s popularity became so pronounced that Trump weighed in on the race himself. In a social media post endorsing Monica De La Cruz, he described the singer as a “radical left Democrat,” calling him “reckless, radical and dangerous.”Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz is doing an incredible job representing the wonderful people of Texas’ 15th Congressional District! A very successful Small Businesswoman, Monica knows the AMERICA FIRST Policies necessary to Create GREAT Jobs, Unleash Innovation, and Restore…— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2026 José Roberto Pulido Jr., better known as Bobby Pulido, grew up in a family deeply rooted in Tejano music. His father, Roberto Pulido, is one of the genre’s pioneers, and it was alongside him that he recorded Contigo, the song that helped launch his musical career. In 1995, he released Desvelado, his debut album, beginning a three-decade career in which he has blended Tejano traditions with more contemporary sounds.Over the course of that career, he has released more than a dozen albums and won two Latin Grammys, in 2022 and 2025, both for Best Tejano Music Album. These 10 songs trace some of the most defining moments of his career.1. ‘Desvelado’ (1995)The title track from Bobby Pulido’s debut album was also the song that launched him to stardom. Released in 1995, Desvelado marked the beginning of a career that soon established him as one of the leading young figures in Tejano music. The song remains one of his most recognizable numbers and is a staple of his live performances.2. ‘Se murió de amor’ (1996)A year after his debut, Pulido released Enséñame, his second studio album. Among its tracks was Se murió de amor, one of the songs that helped cement his place on the Tejano music scene. The album also featured La rosa and the title track, Enséñame, two songs that further expanded the repertoire of his early years as a recording artist.3. ‘Enséñame’ (1996)The song that lent its name to his second album has a distinction of its own: Pulido is also credited as its songwriter. Released in 1996, Enséñame confirmed his role not only as a performer but also as a creator of his own material. The track became a fixture of his live shows and continues to feature on his greatest-hits compilations.4. ‘Le pediré’ (1997)Included on Llegaste a mi vida, his third studio album, Le pediré was one of the singles that defined that stage of Pulido’s career. Released in 1997, the album also featured its title track, Llegaste a mi vida, as well as Qué más te puedo dar. A year later, Pulido included several of those songs on En Vivo desde Monterrey, México, reflecting the popularity his music had achieved among Mexican audiences, where he continues to enjoy a strong following.5. ‘Llegaste a mi vida’ (1997)The title track of Pulido’s third album is another of the signature songs from his early career. Llegaste a mi vida was released in 1997, by which point Pulido had already put out two albums in just two years. The song remained a regular part of his repertoire and was included in the concert he recorded in Monterrey in 1998, when he once again performed it for a Mexican audience.6. ‘La rosa’ (1996)Included on Enséñame, La rosa became another of the standout songs from Pulido’s early years. Its appearance on the live album En Vivo desde Monterrey and, more than two decades later, on En Vivo desde Las Vegas, reflects the enduring appeal of a song that has remained part of his repertoire throughout much of his career.7. ‘A tu lado’ (2001)In 2001, Pulido released Siempre pensando en ti, an album that marked a new chapter in his recording career. One of its standout tracks was A tu lado, a song written by Pulido himself. More than two decades later, he revisited the song for Bobby Pulido & Friends, released in 2025, performing it alongside Mexican regional music singer Majo Aguilar.8. ‘Vanidosa’ (2002)Vanidosa was the lead single from Bobby, the album Pulido released in 2002. On that record, he explored new sounds, incorporating tropical rhythms alongside the Tejano influences that had defined his earlier work. The song became one of the standout tracks of that period and remains a regular feature of his live performances.9. ‘Vive’ (2005)In 2005, Pulido released Vive, another studio album in a career that by then spanned more than a decade. The title track joined a catalogue already filled with hits and would remain part of the singer’s live repertoire for years to come. Its inclusion on the live album En Vivo desde Las Vegas, recorded in 2020, shows that it remained one of the songs he continued to perform in concert.10. ‘Ojalá te animes’ (2005)Ojalá te animes is one of the songs Pulido has kept in his repertoire over the years. It appears on En Vivo desde Las Vegas (2020), and in recent years he has re-recorded it with other artists, including Bronco and Los Rojos. Those collaborations provide a final glimpse of the staying power of his music and the new partnerships that have emerged over the course of his career.Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition