Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer Randy White has endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his U.S. Senate race, telling OutKick in an exclusive interview that Democratic opponent James Talarico “can’t be trusted.”
“Ken Paxton will get in there and get things done. He’s not afraid,” White said. “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.”
White said the endorsement grew out of a personal relationship with Paxton built around shared work on child safety and the opioid crisis. He pointed to Paxton’s backing of the National Child Identification Program, which gives parents kits to preserve their children’s fingerprints and DNA at home. White serves as a Hall of Fame ambassador for the program, and Paxton has previously supported a coalition seeking federal funding for it.
“He is a big supporter of the Child ID program, which is something I’m a big supporter of — helping kids,” White said.
White also lost his son-in-law to an accidental opioid overdose, a tragedy that pushed him into drug-awareness advocacy. In 2024 he joined Paxton and Texas parents who had lost children to fentanyl-laced drugs in a public service announcement released by the attorney general’s office.
“This opioid stuff — I lost a son-in-law to opioids, accidental,” White said. “He’s been right on top of that ever since that happened. Everything he does is kind of the way I think it should be done.”
A sharp contrast drawn with Talarico
White was blunt about his lack of trust in Talarico. “I know Ken Paxton,” he said. “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 viewed Talarico as “too woke,” White said, “Yes.” He added: “I don’t want to go into each specific thing, but, yeah, he’s different than what I think is right. 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.”
White singled out transgender participation in girls’ sports and access to girls’ bathrooms as areas of disagreement with Democrats and with Talarico specifically. Talarico voted against Republican-backed restrictions on transgender athletes while in the Texas House. In September he told Fox News he would “oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it risks safety or fairness,” then later said his position hadn’t changed — he opposes a blanket statewide ban and believes local education and sports officials should decide case by case.
White said that shift reinforced his doubts. “I think that’s a sign that we can’t trust him,” he said. “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. We need 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.
A race tighter than expected
Paxton won the Republican nomination in May after defeating longtime Sen. John Cornyn in a primary runoff, a result that highlighted President Donald Trump’s grip on the party. Trump endorsed Paxton shortly before that runoff.
The general election has turned out to be closer than many expected. A Fox News Poll conducted Sept. 24-28 found Talarico leading Paxton 51%-49% among likely voters, within the poll’s three-point margin of error, and several other recent polls have shown Talarico narrowly ahead.
Despite the tight numbers, White voiced full support for Trump, whose standing and economic record have become central to the race. “I love President Trump. I’m behind him 1,000%,” White said. “These gas prices, we’re paying a little more for gas right now. 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. He’ll get gas prices back down where they were. It’s just something that’s part of the process of getting America back where it needs to be and making it safe.”
White also backed Trump’s handling of the conflict with Iran. “We had to do it. You had to,” he said. “They’re never going to stop. They are never going to stop. … What President Trump is doing, I think, is the best thing for our country.”
