Democrats are making a seven-figure investment in South Texas aimed at winning back Hispanic voters who shifted toward President Donald Trump in 2024, with Spanish-language advertising and direct voter outreach focused on the cost of living and political corruption.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is concentrating particularly on Texas' 15th Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz won by 14 points in 2024. The Republican-controlled state legislature redrew the district in 2025, however, leaving De La Cruz to campaign before a new electorate.
Democrats are challenging her with Bobby Pulido, a Tejano singer with substantial name recognition in the Rio Grande Valley, as The Washington Post explains. The district is 81% Hispanic and 58% of its residents speak Spanish, according to Census Bureau data cited by The Washington Post.
The DCCC's Spanish-language advertising has emphasized rising living costs and De La Cruz's vote against releasing Justice Department documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The party is also directing money toward Texas' 28th, 34th and 35th districts as it seeks to expand its reach in the region.
The South Texas investment comes as Democrats direct resources toward other places that have generally favored Republicans. In Mississippi, national Democratic organizations and donors have begun investing in Scott Colom's Senate campaign against Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, despite Trump carrying the state by 23 points in 2024. About $4 million in advertising has been spent or reserved in that race.
Those efforts are unfolding against a national political environment in which economic concerns have weighed on Trump's standing. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Sept. 22 put his approval at 32%, while 17% approved of his handling of the cost of living. In the same survey, registered voters preferred Democratic congressional candidates over Republicans 43% to 35%.
A separate NBC News poll released that same week found Democrats ahead 50% to 45% when registered voters were asked which party they preferred to control Congress. The results are national measurements rather than forecasts of individual races, but they provide context for Democrats' decision to invest in congressional territory where the party has recently struggled.
