Upset Brief · TX-15 · Monica De La Cruz (R) vs. Bobby Pulido (D)
De La Cruz can win. The math closes using 74 percent of what history allows.
18%
odds today
51%
odds with the plan
7,158
net votes to find
37
days left; voting starts October 19
Where
- 01+122Precinct 90 (Hidalgo County)Starting line Pulido +47. 9.7% split their ticket.
- 02+100Precinct 113 (Hidalgo County)Starting line Pulido +19. 6.2% split their ticket.
- 03+98Precinct 114 (Hidalgo County)Starting line Pulido +10. 4.5% split their ticket.
- 04+96Precinct 20 (Hidalgo County)Starting line Pulido +18. 7.8% split their ticket.
- 05+96Precinct 151 (Hidalgo County)Starting line Pulido +26. 4.2% split their ticket.
- 06+95Precinct 16 (Hidalgo County)Starting line Pulido +46. 12.7% split their ticket.
The top 12 precincts carry 15% of the plan.
How
- P+5,572PersuadeTicket splitters and the 5 percent still undecided in the latest poll: 7,553 leaning Pulido today.
- M+1,546MobilizeAt least 14,706 people who voted in 2024 but not in 2022, in precincts where De La Cruz's side wins at least 55 percent.
- C+397ConsolidateVoters who went third party in recent races, in the precincts that lean De La Cruz's way.
What has to be true
- De La Cruz wins 37 percent of the ticket splitters and undecided voters now leaning Pulido.
- In Precinct 1 (Aransas County) and Precinct 1A (Aransas County), 26 percent of the people who voted in 2024 but skipped 2022 come back and vote.
- No national wave is required. The plan closes at 74 percent of what recent Texas results show is possible.
- The starting line comes from published 2026 polls, including campaign or party sponsored polls where those are the only ones; if the true gap is different, so is the plan.
The numbers behind it
- 01Crossover regression280 precincts, R² 0.988, 46 crossover precincts identified
- 02Monte Carlo20,000 seeded simulated elections with a 5-point baseline error. 90% range of the final margin with the plan: -12,991 to 13,744 votes.
- 03Money, FEC candidate totals through June 30De La Cruz $2,463,323 cash on hand; Pulido $1,155,936.
- 04Call program for this list14,594 households, 43,782 dials, about 2,294 live conversations: an estimated $6,150 at published rates.
Independent analysis by The Political Group from official Texas Secretary of State precinct returns (2022 and 2024), FEC filings and published polls, as of September 26, 2026. Not affiliated with any candidate or party.