Dallas Cowboys legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy White is publicly backing Ken Paxton over James Talarico in the Texas Senate race — and he did not mince words about the Democrat.
White warned that Texas "can't have this guy" and "can't trust" Talarico, while urging Texans to get out and vote. His endorsement adds another high-profile voice to a closely watched Republican-versus-Democratic Senate contest, with the candidates sharply divided on issues including abortion, immigration, taxes, and LGBTQ+ policy.
The endorsement grew out of White's personal relationship with Paxton. "Ken Paxton will get in there and get things done. He's not afraid," White said. "He will get in there and say what needs to be said. He doesn't hold back. He tells the truth."
White pointed to their shared work on the National Child Identification Program, which gives parents kits to preserve their children's fingerprints and DNA at home, and to their joint advocacy against the opioid crisis. White lost his son-in-law to an accidental opioid overdose, and in 2024 he joined Paxton and Texas parents who lost children to fentanyl in a public service announcement from the attorney general's office.
Paxton, the Texas attorney general, is the Republican nominee after beating John Cornyn in the primary runoff — a race President Trump weighed in on directly, endorsing Paxton and calling him "the greatest attorney general in the United States of America."
The race has drawn fire from the other side too: comedian Ron White (no relation) used a recent appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast to call Paxton "too corrupt" for office, and Democrats are hammering Paxton's financial disclosures. But with Trump's endorsement and now a Cowboys legend in his corner, Paxton's camp is betting Texas voters trust the fighter they know.