Dallas Cowboys icon Randy White is stepping off the gridiron and into the political arena, throwing his considerable star power behind Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in one of the most closely watched U.S. Senate contests in the country.
The Pro Football Hall of Famers endorsement, first reported by Fox News, comes as Republicans seek to hold a critical Senate seat in a year when control of the chamber is up for grabs. According to Fox News, White made clear in an exclusive interview with OutKick that his support is rooted in both personal trust and shared conservative values, particularly on crime, childrens safety and cultural issues that have roiled Texas politics.
"Ken Paxton will get in there and get things done. Hes not afraid," White told OutKick, praising the attorney generals combative style in office. "Thats one thing I really like about Ken. He will get in there and say what needs to be said. He doesnt hold back. He tells the truth. Hes not trying to win a popularity contest when hes working. Its whats right for the people."
White explained that his endorsement did not emerge from party loyalty alone but from a long-standing personal relationship with Paxton and their joint efforts on issues affecting children and families. "I got to know Ken as a person, and I think he is a super person," White said. "I like his attitude, the things that he does, the way he does them."
Central to that relationship is Paxtons backing of the National Child Identification Program, a crime-prevention initiative that equips parents with kits to store their childrens fingerprints, DNA and other identifying information at home. Paxton has previously joined a coalition urging federal support for the program, while White has served as one of its Hall of Fame ambassadors, using his platform to promote parental preparedness and child safety.
"He is a big supporter of the Child ID program, which is something Im a big supporter of helping kids," White said, framing the initiative as a commonsense measure in an era of rising public concern over child exploitation and trafficking. For conservatives who prioritize law and order and parental rights, the program has become a quiet but potent symbol of proactive, family-centered policy.
Whites advocacy has also been shaped by personal loss, after his son-in-law died from an accidental opioid overdose. That tragedy pushed the former Cowboys star into the fight against drug abuse, where he has aligned with Paxtons aggressive posture on fentanyl and other lethal narcotics flooding communities across Texas.
"This opioid stuff I lost a son-in-law to opioids, accidental," White said, recalling the event that galvanized his activism. "Hes been right on top of that ever since that happened. Everything he does is kind of the way I think it should be done."
In 2024, White joined Paxton and Texas parents who had lost children to fentanyl-laced drugs in a public service announcement produced by the attorney generals office. The campaign highlighted Paxtons tough-on-crime approach and his willingness to confront cartels and traffickers, a stance that resonates strongly with voters who see the border crisis and drug epidemic as direct consequences of lax federal enforcement.
White drew a sharp contrast between Paxton and Democratic challenger James Talarico, a former state representative whose record and rhetoric he views with deep skepticism. "I know Ken Paxton," White said. "I know hes going to do what he says hes going to do. I know hes going to go to work every day, and hes going to help the people of Texas. This other guy, I dont know him. But I hear what he says, and its different from what I believe."
Pressed on whether he considered Talarico "too woke," White did not hesitate. Asked whether he considered Talarico "too woke," White answered, "Yes."
"I dont want to go into each specific thing, but, yeah, hes different than what I think is right," White said, signaling his broader discomfort with progressive cultural politics. "If this guy gets elected in Texas, Im going to pull my hair out, and I dont have many left. So, weve got to get out and vote so this doesnt happen."
Among the flashpoints for White are transgender participation in girls sports and access to girls bathrooms, issues that have become emblematic of the broader clash between conservative and progressive worldviews. Talarico voted against GOP-backed restrictions on transgender athletes while in the Texas House, aligning himself with the lefts gender ideology agenda that many Texas parents and coaches reject as unfair and unsafe for girls.
In September, however, Talarico told Fox News that he would "oppose trans athletes playing in girls sports if it risks safety or fairness." He later insisted his position had not shifted, claiming he opposes a blanket statewide ban and prefers to leave decisions to local education and sports officials on a case-by-case basis.
For White, that kind of hedging only deepened his doubts about Talaricos reliability and core convictions. "I think thats a sign that we cant trust him," White said. "Hes 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 dont 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 has not responded to a request for comment.
Paxtons path to the general election was itself a rebuke to the party establishment, as he defeated longtime Sen. John Cornyn in a May primary runoff. The upset underscored the enduring influence of President Donald Trump over Republican voters, after Trump endorsed Paxton shortly before the runoff and helped consolidate conservative support behind the attorney general.
The general-election contest has since tightened into a genuine battleground, defying expectations that Texas would remain comfortably red at the Senate level. A Fox News Poll conducted Sept. 24-28 showed Talarico leading Paxton 51%-49% among likely voters, a result within the surveys three-point margin of sampling error, while several other recent public polls have also placed the Democrat narrowly ahead.
Despite those numbers, White voiced unwavering support for Trump, whose economic record and foreign policy posture have become central themes in the race and in Paxtons broader appeal to conservative voters. "I love President Trump. Im behind him 1,000%," White said. "These gas prices, were paying a little more for gas right now. But I tell you what, hes saving the world. And weve got to pay a little bit more for gas OK, well, lets pay it for a while."
"Hell get gas prices back down where they were. Its just something thats part of the process of getting America back where it needs to be and making it safe." In tying short-term economic pain to long-term national security and strength, White echoed a common conservative argument that energy independence and a strong America abroad require tough choices now.
White also endorsed Trumps handling of the war with Iran, reflecting a hawkish view that sees the regime in Tehran as an implacable enemy that must be confronted, not appeased. "We had to do it. You had to," White said. "Theyre never going to stop. They are never going to stop. What President Trump is doing, I think, is the best thing for our country."
For Texas conservatives, Whites backing of Paxton and Trump reinforces a broader narrative: that the states future depends on leaders willing to challenge progressive orthodoxy, defend traditional values and confront threats at home and abroad without flinching. As polls tighten and national Democrats eye Texas as a potential pickup, the Hall of Famers message to voters is unmistakable from child safety and the opioid crisis to girls sports and foreign policy, he believes the stakes are high enough that sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option.
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