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Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Who's running in Texas's 15th congressional district

2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.

Candidates
2
Incumbent
Monica De La Cruz
Parties
Republican · Democratic
State primary
Mar 3

Candidates appear in ballot order. We do not rank them, score them, or recommend one — here is how this is put together, and here is what the office actually does.

2 candidates · ballot order · Monica De La Cruz currently holds this seat

Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Border security and stopping fentanyl trafficking.
  • South Texas water: she formed the South Texas Water Working Group and introduced legislation to impose tariffs on Mexico over Rio Grande treaty violations.
  • Support for South Texas agriculture.
  • Protecting seniors' benefits and support for veterans' housing.
  • Economic development in the Valley.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • U.S. Representative for the 15th District since January 2023; re-elected in 2024 with 57.1%.
  • First Latina and first Republican to represent the district.
  • Passed legislation targeting fentanyl trafficking — described as the first bill from her community signed into law in nearly twenty years.
  • Introduced the Water Assurance and Treaty Enforcement for Rio Grande Farmers Act.
  • Five of her bills on veterans' housing and housing supply became law through the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
  • Secured a $6 million Economic Development Administration grant for industrial park expansion in McAllen.
  • Voted for the 2025 reconciliation law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and said in July 2025 that she "proudly voted" for it.
  • Endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council.

Arguments in favor

  • She has delivered concrete things for the Valley: a fentanyl trafficking law, five veterans' housing bills, a $6 million grant for McAllen, and a campaign to make Mexico meet its Rio Grande water obligations.

    — Monica De La Cruz's campaign

  • She has the backing of border enforcement officers, who endorsed her through the National Border Patrol Council.

    — National Border Patrol Council

Arguments against

  • She voted for the 2025 reconciliation law that cut SNAP funding and tightened work requirements, and said she did so proudly; participation in Texas SNAP has fallen since.

    — Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

  • Her attacks on Pulido — including saying he is only fit to play quinceañeras — are the campaign of an incumbent under real pressure in a district Democrats now see as winnable.

    — Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

What we couldn’t verify

  • How much of the SNAP change's effect falls on this district specifically has not been quantified in the coverage available.
  • Her position on the tariffs' effect on Valley agriculture and cross-border trade beyond the water treaty proposal.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:monicaforcongress.usaxios.comdccc.orgborderreport.comnews.ballotpedia.org

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Restoring the food assistance cut in the 2025 reconciliation law, the issue his campaign and national Democrats have led with.
  • Cost of living in the Rio Grande Valley.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Tejano musician; his 1995 hit "Desvelado" made his name across South Texas.
  • Small business owner.
  • Defeated Ada Cuellar in the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary.
  • Has not held elected office.
  • Severed his professional relationship with accordionist Frankie Caballero in 2021.

Arguments in favor

  • He is running close enough in a district Trump carried by 18 points that forecasters moved the race from Likely to Lean Republican — evidence that his standing in the Valley crosses the usual partisan lines.

    — The Cook Political Report's ratings change, cited by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

  • He is making the incumbent answer for the food assistance cuts in the 2025 reconciliation law, in a district where a large share of households rely on the programme.

    — Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

Arguments against

  • He performed for years alongside Frankie Caballero, convicted in 2014 of indecent sexual contact with an eight-year-old, including at a 2018 school benefit with children present and again as late as 2021; De La Cruz says he also bailed Caballero out of jail.

    — Monica De La Cruz and her campaign

  • He called police officers "abusive assholes" and said America has an abusive cop problem, and is an out-of-touch celebrity candidate rather than someone who has done the work.

    — National Republican Congressional Committee

What we couldn’t verify

  • A campaign website could not be confirmed — bobbypulido.com is his music site — so his positions in his own words are thinly documented; most of what is published about him concerns the controversy rather than his platform.
  • His positions on immigration, energy, trade and health care were not stated in material available.
  • His campaign says he did not know of Caballero's conviction, that background checks are uncommon in the music industry, and that he learned of it from press reports; the bail claim has not been independently verified in the coverage found.
Sources:texastribune.orgcbsnews.comnrcc.orgaxios.comballotpedia.org

Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.

Texas held its primary on March 3, 2026. Republican incumbent Monica De La Cruz advanced, and Tejano musician Bobby Pulido beat Ada Cuellar for the Democratic nomination. The district was redrawn in Texas's 2025 mid-decade redistricting and now runs from Hidalgo County in the Rio Grande Valley northeast through rural counties toward Victoria and Gonzales. Donald Trump carried the previous version by 18 points in 2024, but the Cook Political Report moved the race from Likely to Lean Republican in the summer of 2026. Roster confirmed against the Texas Secretary of State's certified ballot.

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