Bobby Pulido, the Tejano music star who is running for Congress in Texas’ 15th Congressional District, is facing more scrutiny over his association with a fellow musician who was convicted on sex offense charges with an 8-year-old — this time for bringing the man along to a middle-school benefit concert in 2018.
Pulido, whose musical stardom gives him crossover appeal in a swing district, is a critical part of the Democrats’ plan to flip the House, in this case targeting a seat held by Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz.
However, a history of sexually questionable behavior online and off has plagued his campaign, particularly his association with accordionist and convicted sex offender Frankie Caballero.
On Monday, Axios reported that the association with the disgraced Caballero was more disturbing than originally known, with Caballero being invited to perform at a middle school in a McAllen suburb just months after he was released from prison in 2017.
“On May 24, 2018, Pulido, Caballero and the rest of Pulido’s band performed at an event to raise money for Harwell Middle School in Edinburg, Texas,” Axios reported.
“Children were welcome at the event, which was held at the Richard R Flores Stadium, several miles from the middle school grounds, according to the promotional materials.
“A video reviewed by Axios shows children were present in the audience,” the outlet added.
Do you think he knew he was bringing a sex offender into a school?
Caballero, who has a criminal record dating back to at least 1992, faced his most serious charges in the 2010s for sexual contact with an 8-year-old girl.
He served time in prison between 2014 and 2017. Pulido began touring with him again soon afterward, even appearing on Spanish-language network Univision with Caballero in December of 2017, just months after his release.
He was listed on Texas’ sex offender registry at the time. Pulido and his campaign have claimed they were not aware of the nature of his conviction, despite the fact that Tejano bass player Ramon Rodriguez told the New York Post when the story first broke in April that it was “a known fact in music circles” that Caballero had been convicted of sexually abusing a minor.
A former prosecutor from Hidalgo County, Texas, added at the time that there was “simply no version of this story where Bobby Pulido did not know the man he employed and befriended for decades is a career child predator” due to “employer verifications” and Caballero’s “probation officer.”
In 2021, Caballero was in trouble with the law again, after he entered a guilty plea to assaulting his daughter.
A grand jury indictment at the time claimed that Caballero had “imped[ed]” his daughter’s “normal breathing,” Axios reported after reviewing the indictment and plea deal.
Despite this, Pulido kept up his association with Caballero.
“Photos and videos show Pulido performing with Cabarello as recently as June of 2021, while court documents indicate that the assault charges related to his daughter were pending,” Axios reported.
“Bonding documents from January and February of 2021 listed Pulido as Caballero’s employer, according to records reviewed by Axios.”
Eventually, Pulido cut ties with Caballero, saying in a 2024 interview — after a new set of charges were filed against the accordion player — that he “just can’t stay out of trouble.”
Pulido’s team’s line hasn’t changed much since the story broke in April: The candidate was unaware of the full extent of Caballero’s history, and the charges are merely a smear job.
“Bobby Pulido is a public figure who has been an open book for over 30 years, and the only reason Republicans are digging up this nothing story is because Monica De La Cruz herself admitted he is surging in this race,” a spokesperson for the Pulido campaign said.
This statement was more aggressive than the one made in April by Pulido campaign manager Abel Prado, it’s worth noting.
“Bobby was never made aware of Caballero’s sex offender registration and would never knowingly associate with anyone with that kind of history. Bobby extends his deepest sympathies and support to all of the victims involved,” Prado said at the time.
However, Pulido’s history of sexually charged comments and artistic statements had already caused trouble for his candidacy.
Numerous posts on the musician’s Twitter account linked to pornography, with Pulido stating in one post that “it’s impossible to have Twitter and not watch porn.”
In addition, the music video for his hit “Dias de Ayer” (“Days of Yesterday”) shows Pulido portraying a series of caricatured perverts, including a man who pleasures himself in public; the song had little to do with the sexualized imagery in the promotional clip, which was meant to address rumors regarding Pulido’s sexuality.
While polling in the district is scarce — the last major poll, sponsored by the Democrats and taken last November, had De La Cruz leading by 3 percentage points — betting markets show the race as even, with Kalshi giving Pulido a slight edge over the incumbent, 49 percent to 48 percent.
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