Dallas Cowboys legend Randy White has endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate and warned that Democrat James Talarico can’t be trusted with the job.
OutKick reported the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s exclusive comments as the Texas Senate race tightens and voters weigh who will represent the state in Washington.
White did not hedge. He knows Paxton personally. He does not know Talarico. And he wants Texans at the polls so the Democrat does not win.
The endorsement lands in a contest that recent surveys have shown as a narrow fight. A Fox News Poll conducted Sept. 24-28 found Talarico leading Paxton 51% to 49% among likely voters, inside the poll’s three-point margin of error. Other recent public polls have also shown Talarico narrowly ahead.
White is not treating it like a close call on character.
White, the former Cowboys defensive tackle and Super Bowl MVP, told OutKick he trusts Paxton’s record and grit. He framed the attorney general as someone who shows up, speaks plainly, and puts results ahead of applause.
He put it this way:
"Ken Paxton will get in there and get things done. He’s not afraid."
White went further on Paxton’s style in office and on the trail:
"That’s one thing I really like about Ken. He will get in there and say what needs to be said. He doesn’t hold back. He tells the truth. He’s not trying to win a popularity contest when he’s working. It’s what’s right for the people."
The Hall of Famer said the bond is personal, not transactional. “I got to know Ken as a person, and I think he is a super person,” White said. He added that he likes Paxton’s attitude and “the way he does them.”
That relationship tracks with shared work outside politics. White serves as a Hall of Fame ambassador for the National Child Identification Program, which gives parents kits to preserve children’s fingerprints, DNA, and other identifying information at home. Paxton previously joined a coalition supporting federal funding for the program.
White also pointed to opioids. He said he lost a son-in-law to an accidental overdose and that Paxton stayed locked on the crisis. In 2024, the Texas attorney general’s office released a public service announcement in which White joined Paxton and Texas parents who had lost children to fentanyl-laced drugs.
“He’s been right on top of that ever since that happened,” White said. “Everything he does is kind of the way I think it should be done.”
Paxton secured the Republican nomination in May after defeating longtime Sen. John Cornyn in a primary runoff. President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton shortly before that runoff. The general election is set for Nov. 3.
White’s backing also fits a wider push around major outside money flowing into Paxton’s Senate bid as the race draws national attention.
White drew a bright contrast with Talarico. He said he knows Paxton will keep his word and work for Texans. He said he does not know the Democrat the same way, and does not like what he hears.
"I know Ken Paxton. I know he’s going to do what he says he’s going to do. I know he’s going to go to work every day, and he’s going to help the people of Texas. This other guy, I don’t know him. But I hear what he says, and it’s different from what I believe."
Asked whether he considered Talarico “too woke,” White answered, “Yes.” He declined a laundry list of policy fights but did not soften the judgment: Talarico is “different than what I think is right.”
White warned about the stakes if Talarico wins statewide:
"If this guy gets elected in Texas, I’m going to pull my hair out, and I don’t have many left. So, we’ve got to get out and vote so this doesn’t happen."
The flashpoint OutKick highlighted includes Talarico’s record on transgender athletes in girls’ sports. While serving in the Texas House, Talarico voted against Republican-backed restrictions. In September he told Fox News he would “oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it risks safety or fairness.” He later said that position had not changed and that he opposes a blanket statewide prohibition, preferring local case-by-case decisions.
White treated the shift as a character issue, not a footnote.
"I think that’s a sign that we can’t trust him. He’s going to go with the way the wind flows, whatever he feels like is the best thing for him and what his goals are. We don’t need somebody like that."
He said Texas needs the opposite: “somebody like Ken Paxton who is going to stick to his guns, who is not afraid to stand up for what he believes is right.”
Talarico’s office did not respond to a request for comment in the OutKick report. Coverage of the matchup has also tracked how older voters have broken hard toward the Republican even when headline numbers stay tight.
White tied his Senate choice to a larger fight over direction in Washington. He said he loves President Trump and stands behind him completely.
“I love President Trump. I’m behind him 1,000%,” White said.
On gas prices, White did not pretend costs are painless. He argued the tradeoff is temporary and tied to restoring safety and strength. “These gas prices, we’re paying a little more for gas right now,” he said. “But I tell you what, he’s saving the world. And we’ve got to pay a little bit more for gas, OK, well, let’s pay it for a while.”
White said Trump will get prices back down and called the squeeze “part of the process of getting America back where it needs to be and making it safe.” On Trump’s handling of the conflict with Iran, White was blunt: “We had to do it. You had to.” He added that adversaries “are never going to stop” and that Trump’s course is “the best thing for our country.”
That America-first posture is the same lane Paxton has tried to own since clearing the primary. Family politics have also stayed in the mix, including moments when Angela Paxton urged Republicans to stick with Ken Paxton despite a divorce filing.
White is not a casual name-dropper in Texas sports. He starred on the Cowboys’ defensive line, wore No. 54, earned Super Bowl MVP honors, and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame. When a figure like that endorses a Senate candidate, the message is meant for living rooms far beyond Austin.
His pitch is simple. He worked with Paxton on child identification and the fentanyl fight. He watched Paxton refuse to soft-pedal. He hears Talarico say one thing after voting another way on girls’ sports and concludes the Democrat will follow the wind.
Polls still show a knife-edge race, and earlier surveys captured how Talarico’s lead has moved while warning signs remain for both sides. White is not waiting on the next survey. He is telling Texans to vote like the character gap is already clear.
Related coverage on our site has also followed how White’s endorsement frames the Paxton-Talarico contrast for voters who still have time to decide.
Texas does not need another politician who bends with the breeze. It needs leaders who keep their word when the cameras leave, and White just told the state which man he trusts to do it.
