Latino Democrat congressional candidate Bobby Pulido has openly challenged radical Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), telling CNN that the activist-favored term “Latinx” simply doesn’t reflect how Hispanic communities actually speak, especially in Texas.
On Wednesday, Pulido, a popular Latino musician, appeared on CNN’s “This Morning.”
The show’s host, Audie Cornish, raised the growing backlash to progressive language trends, noting that the term “Latinx” has been pushed by activists and academics but rejected by the overwhelming majority of Latino voters.
Cornish played a clip of Ocasio-Cortez defending the term and criticizing politicians, including fellow Democrats, who argue that forcing “Latinx” onto the community is alienating voters.
She then asked Pulido where he stood.
Pulido didn’t mince words.
“Well, I mean, I don’t speak like that,” Pulido said.
“And the people down here don’t speak that way, and that’s not anything offensive to her.
“But let’s be honest, you know, New York is the East Coast….
“And maybe those areas, they do talk like that, but not down here.”
He added that the term simply doesn’t exist in everyday usage among Hispanic Texans.
“Nobody in their average everyday life speaks like that. That’s just a fact,” Pulido said.
While emphasizing he is not personally offended by Ocasio-Cortez’s preference, Pulido made it clear he won’t be adopting “Latinx” in his own vocabulary.
He argued that progressive cultural messaging, including attempts to reinvent language, is often wildly out of step with the realities of Latino working-class communities.
Pulido pointed to issues like oil and gas, which dominate his district’s economy.
“My district is pretty much all oil and gas, and these are jobs that in many cases in these rural areas are the best-paying jobs that people have seen in years,” he said.
“And so, you know, I think you got to have a candidate that represents the district.
“And my district is very different than New York, extremely different.”
Pulido concluded by stressing that regional differences matter and that national Democrats should stop pretending one cultural template fits all.
“I would never tell her how to represent her district,” Pulido said.
“[But] my district is a little different.”
WATCH:
Ocasio-Cortez has not responded.
Polling shows exactly why Democrats are struggling on this issue.
According to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey:
• Only 47% of Latino respondents had even heard of the term “Latinx.”
• Only 4% use it to describe themselves.
• A full 75% say the term should not be used at all.
Those numbers have barely budged since 2019, underscoring the disconnect between progressive activists and the community they claim to speak for.
READ MORE – Bill Maher Shreds ‘Very Far Left’ AOC: She Needs ‘Deprogramming’
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