Texas’ 15th Congressional District stretches from Hidalgo County along the border north toward the outskirts of San Antonio—and it remains the only GOP-held congressional seat in Texas that Democrats are targeting under the current map. It is also one of the most politically complicated races in the state, pitting a Trump-backed incumbent against one of South Texas’s most beloved cultural figures in a district where the political ground has shifted dramatically in recent years.
The Republican: Monica De La Cruz
Monica De La Cruz, 46, is the incumbent congresswoman for Texas’ 15th District and the first Republican—and first woman—to represent it. An Edinburg native and small business owner, she flipped the seat in 2022 after a 2021 Republican-led redistricting overhaul shifted the district rightward, carving out Democratic-leaning areas in Hidalgo County and adding more conservative precincts farther north. She won reelection in 2024.
De La Cruz has been endorsed by Trump and campaigned for his reelection in 2024 in South Texas. She has centered her congressional career on border security, law enforcement support, small-business growth, veterans’ services, and conservative economic policy she says aligns with Trump’s agenda.
But that alignment has created a complicated dynamic at home. As Courier Texas has reported, ICE raids on construction sites across South Texas have devastated an industry that employs tens of thousands of Valley residents. Construction loans in the Rio Grande Valley have declined by 30%, and what once took four months to build can now take nine to 11. De La Cruz—who voted to give ICE more funding than any other federal law enforcement agency—now calls the construction worker shortage “a crisis in the Valley” and has backed a special visa program to grant construction workers temporary legal status. State Rep. Terry Canales, a Democrat whose district overlaps with hers, has likened De La Cruz to “an arsonist” setting a house on fire and then posing as the rescuer.
See where she stands on the issues here.
The Democrat: Bobby Pulido
Bobby Pulido, 52, is one of the most recognizable names in Tejano music—a genre born in South Texas—with a decades-long career and a devoted following across the Rio Grande Valley and beyond. He endorsed Beto O’Rourke in 2018 before publicly retiring from music to pursue politics.
His campaign slogan—“Not team red. Not team blue. Team you”—anchors him as a moderate, culturally fluent Democrat trying to win back voters who have drifted toward Republicans. He has focused his campaign on lowering costs for working families, fixing a healthcare system that too often fails South Texans, and bringing a real border perspective to the immigration debate—arguing Washington’s immigration conversation ignores the lived reality of border communities. “I’ve spent decades using my voice to bring people together,” Pulido said in his launch video. “Now, I’ll use it to fight for the place we call home.”
Pulido has earned endorsements from CHC Bold PAC, the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and has been included in the Democrats Work for America slate of endorsed candidates. His campaign has not been without controversy: he was caught on camera urinating Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star, a moment Republicans used to challenge his bipartisan framing.
See where he stands on the issues here.
What to watch
The 15th District was once a reliable Democratic seat. Due to redistricting, Republicans have steadily expanded their foothold in the region, culminating in De La Cruz’s double-digit reelection win in 2024. But increased ICE enforcement across South Texas has caused frustration among some Latino voters, who make up roughly three-quarters of the district’s eligible voting-age population.Recent Reporting Texas analysis found strategists believe South Texas Hispanic voters may be moving back toward Democrats after years of Republican gains.
