Overview
- New reporting, first flagged by the New York Post and echoed by other outlets, points to videos showing Bobby Pulido performing with accordionist Frankie Caballero between 2018 and 2021 after Caballero’s 2014 conviction.
- The Texas public sex-offender registry lists Caballero’s conviction for indecent contact with an 8-year-old and confirms his offender status.
- Pulido’s campaign says he did not know about Caballero’s record and says management fired him in 2021, citing that touring crews typically do not undergo background checks.
- Republicans including Rep. Monica De La Cruz and the NRCC allege Pulido knew and praised Caballero as recently as November, a claim Pulido disputes as they press a character attack in the race.
- Pulido is the Democratic nominee challenging De La Cruz in Texas’ 15th District, which backed President Donald Trump in 2024, and the flap follows earlier scrutiny of Pulido’s social-media posts and a 2010 music video.