WASHINGTON — In a development stirring the political scene, Bobby Pulido, a candidate representing Texas House Democrats, has come under scrutiny for his controversial social media activity. According to a review by The Post, Pulido solicited explicit photos from women and discussed themes related to pornography online.
The 55-year-old Pulido, who holds the accolade of a Latin Grammy and once captivated audiences with a bold music video portrayal of a public masturbator, is ambitiously trying to dethrone Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas) in Texas’s contentious 15th Congressional District.
“I want a photo of your tit signed by @grupo_pesado,” Pulido wrote in response to a since-deleted post on Twitter (now X) in 2014, referencing a Mexico-based band with whom he has collaborated in the past.
In an eyebrow-raising exchange, Pulido responded to being tagged in a social media post filled with cheeky banter: “f—ing idiot, I love you little buddy,” highlighting his approachable, albeit controversial, online persona.
That exchange followed a shirtless image Pulido posted of himself with the English-translated caption, “I read you guys with this face, friends…”
Pulido’s engaging social media presence can be traced back further. About a year before, he sparked attention by responding to a post where a user complimented a “sexy” photo of him, demonstrating his willingness to court the limelight.
The user wrote, “I liked your photo, it looks really hot, but what the f—, or rather too sexy for my taste alone, just shove it in me, my love,” according to Pulido’s quoting of them in a 2013 tweet, per a translation.
The user, “@AlieenLugo,” has since deleted their account. Ten days later, Pulido replied with “gracias! Besos,” or, “Thanks! Kisses.”
Amidst the swirling controversy, Pulido’s campaign team has remained tight-lipped. They have neither confirmed nor clarified any additional interactions that might have occurred as a result of these exchanges, leaving room for speculation as his congressional campaign heats up.
The candidate has found himself in hot water over other suggestive social media posts to and about women.
In 2016, for example, he remarked on a photo of Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton standing next to actress Chloë Grace Moretz, both of whom were holding donuts.
“Girl, this is what happens to you after a natural childbirth…,” Pulido wrote, according to a Mediate report from February.
The Democrat deleted that tweet after the outlet contacted his campaign about it.
Pulido also mused that “It’s impossible to have Twitter and not watch porn,” and informed his followers that “there’s a website called youporn [sic] and that it’s cool.”
The Tejano music star also shared a link to the porn site XVideos, riffing on “homemade porn while sleep-deprived.”
Those posts were scrubbed by his team after his campaign was asked about them. But The Post found another tweet about explicit content that is still up.
“We all have that friend who’s always sending porn via WhatsApp. Thanks, but an occasional photo or video is enough for me,” Pulido tweeted on July 4, 2018, per a translation.
Beyond his suggestive tweets, Pulido has faced controversy over his ties to his longtime former bandmate Frankie Caballero, who was convicted of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl in 2014.
During an appearance on a YouTube show with comedian Jose Luis Zagar in 2019, Pulido boasted about how he went to get Caballero “out of jail,” while skipping over details of the alleged offenses.
As The Post previously reported, Pulido continued to tour with Caballero after his release from prison following a four-year sentence.
Pulido’s spokesperson previously told The Post that the congressional hopeful didn’t post “Caballero’s bail or pick him up from jail or prison” and was just riffing to Zagar about how he gave Caballero a chance to perform.
Court records also indicate that Caballero’s son, Frankie Jr., pleaded guilty in 2002 to sexually abusing a 14-year-old. Like his father, Caballero Jr., had ties to Pulido, describing himself as having “grown up touring” with the aspiring congressman.
In response to inquiries from The Post about his recently unearthed social media comments, Pulido put out a video message to his fans, calling questions about his past remarks “recycled tabloid nonsense.”
“Years ago, I joked around with my fans on Twitter, mostly in Spanish. Look, I’m from South Texas, and Mexican humor is sarcastic, brutal, and full of slang that doesn’t necessarily survive the Google Translate test,” he said.
“Some of these old tweets, they went too far, that’s my bad, and I’ve apologized.”