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Democrat Bobby Pulido defeats De La Cruz, flipping South Texas congressional seat

Pulido, who left music for politics, defeated incumbent Monica De La Cruz in a South Texas district.

The short version

  • Democrat Bobby Pulido defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz to flip a South Texas congressional district, per CBS News projections.[CBS News · Billboard]
  • Democrats heavily targeted the district after the region swung toward Republicans in 2024.[CBS News · Billboard]
  • De La Cruz was first elected in 2022, and Pulido had announced his retirement from music in late 2024 to pursue politics.[CBS News · Billboard]

Key facts

  • Democrat Bobby Pulido defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz in a South Texas congressional district, according to CBS News projections.[CBS News · Billboard]
  • Democrats heavily targeted the district after the region swung toward Republicans in 2024.[CBS News]
  • De La Cruz was first elected in 2022, flipping one of the Democratic strongholds in the Rio Grande Valley.[CBS News]
  • Pulido announced his retirement from music in late 2024 to pursue a career in politics starting in 2026.[Billboard]
  • The win came during the U.S. midterm elections on Tuesday, Nov. 3, flipping a Texas House seat for Democrats.[Billboard]
  • In a statement after the election was called in his favor, Pulido said South Texas voters trusted him with their future.[Billboard]

What remains uncertain

  • The result rests on CBS News projections; the provided sources do not report certified final results.[CBS News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.