Gabby Birenbaum, Texas Tribune

WASHINGTON — South Texas Democratic congressional candidate Bobby Pulido performed with a bandmate who is a registered sex offender convicted of indecent contact with an 8 year old girl, drawing renewed scrutiny from his Republican opponent.

Pulido is challenging Rep. Monica De La Cruz in Texas’ 15th Congressional District, a majority-Hispanic district which runs from McAllen to rural counties east of San Antonio and voted for President Donald Trump by 18 percentage points. He is a well-known Tejano singer who first rose to fame in the 1990s and whose candidacy has excited Democrats in South Texas and Washington alike.

Pulido’s association with accordion player Frankie Caballero was first reported by the New York Post....

The Democratic primary for U.S. Senate is closing with a fierce debate that has animated it from the start: Who would Republicans rather face in November?

The leading candidates, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas and state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, have each pitched voters on the idea that they are a better bet for November. Crockett has vowed to turn out new voters to finally flip the state, while Talarico has advocated a broader strategy that includes reaching out to Republicans.

Some Republicans have signaled they would rather face Crockett — and Talarico’s side wants voters to know it....

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, blamed his GOP opponent Brandon Herrera for politicizing the death of his former staffer Wednesday, a day after the San Antonio Express-News reported on a text message from the woman admitting to having an affair with Gonzales.

Gonzales declined to answer questions about the alleged affair, but he has previously dismissed the allegations as untrue.

Regina Santos-Aviles, a Gonzales aide, died after setting herself on fire in her Uvalde home last year. The Express-News reported Tuesday that an ex-staffer in Gonzales’ office said Santos-Aviles had told him in 2024 she had had an affair with Gonzales, and provided a text message from Santos-Aviles in which she said she “had an affair with our boss.”...

Speaker Johnson defends Crenshaw after he was reportedly banned from congressional overseas travel

by Gabby Birenbaum, The Texas Tribune
November 24, 2025

WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson is defending U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, in the wake of a report that his behavior on a congressional delegation trip to Mexico in August was inappropriate....