Cowboy Legend Makes Major Endorsement

Dallas Cowboys legend Randy White has endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate race against Democrat James Talarico, with the general election set for November 3, 2026.

Paxton won the Republican nomination in May after beating longtime Sen. John Cornyn in a runoff, helped by an endorsement from President Donald Trump. A Fox News poll taken September 24–28 showed Talarico ahead 51% to 49% among likely voters, inside the margin of error. Other surveys have also shown a narrow Democratic edge.

White, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl MVP who played defensive tackle for the Cowboys, said the endorsement rests on a personal relationship and shared work on child safety and opioids. He is a Hall of Fame ambassador for the National Child Identification Program, which supplies parents with fingerprint and DNA kits. Paxton has backed federal funding for that effort.

White also lost a son-in-law to an accidental opioid overdose. In 2024 he joined Paxton in a public-service announcement with Texas parents whose children died from fentanyl-laced drugs.

He said of Paxton, “Ken Paxton will get in there and get things done. He’s not afraid.” He added that Paxton “doesn’t hold back,” “tells the truth” and is “not trying to win a popularity contest when he’s working.”

On the drug issue, White said, “This opioid stuff — I lost a son-in-law to opioids, accidental. He’s been right on top of that ever since that happened.” He closed the trust argument this way: “I know Ken Paxton. I know he’s going to do what he says he’s going to do.”

White said he does not know Talarico, but “I hear what he says, and it’s different from what I believe.” He called Talarico “too woke” and said, “If this guy gets elected in Texas, I’m going to pull my hair out, and I don’t have many left.”

The split he singled out was transgender athletes in girls’ sports and access to girls’ bathrooms. Talarico voted in the Texas House against Republican restrictions, then told Fox News in September he would “oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it risks safety or fairness,” while still rejecting a blanket statewide ban. White called that “a sign that we can’t trust him” and said Paxton will “stick to his guns.”

White also backed Trump “1,000%,” including on gas prices and the war with Iran. “We had to do it,” he said of Iran. “They’re never going to stop.” Talarico’s office did not respond to a request for comment.