Trump brings Manziel, McCoy and Amendola to Texas as Senate race stays tight

President Trump is campaigning in Texas on Tuesday, Oct. 27, with three former football players: Johnny Manziel, Colt McCoy and Danny Amendola. The stops are in Lubbock and Corpus Christi, ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3 ¹².

The trip is meant to help Republicans, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for the U.S. Senate against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico ¹³. Yahoo Sports, republishing a Houston Chronicle report, said this is Trump's fourth Texas trip in two months ¹.

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Who is joining him

Manziel won the Heisman Trophy, college football's top individual award, at Texas A&M. McCoy was a quarterback at the University of Texas and played for five NFL teams ². Amendola played at Texas Tech and won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots ².

McCoy retired from the NFL in 2024. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed him to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in January ¹.

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Manziel has said he wanted no part of politics. In a 2024 Fox News interview, he said politics was probably something he would never get involved in ¹.

A pattern of sports appearances

The Daily Beast reported that Trump has leaned on football figures before. He spent time with four Baltimore Ravens players, held an Ohio rally with former coach Jon Gruden and held a Georgia event with Todd Gurley ².

An adviser told Axios, as quoted by the Daily Beast, that "Trump has many bases. And football is one of them, college and pros." ²

The race Republicans are trying to hold

Polls show the Senate race is very close. A CBS poll had Talarico ahead 51% to 49%, within its margin of error, according to the Daily Beast ². Fox 4 in Dallas-Fort Worth described the race as a "dead heat" ³.

About 4.5 million Texas ballots had been cast as of the Daily Beast's report, and about 10 million voters are expected in all, according to The Texan, which the Daily Beast cited ².

Some Republicans are also breaking with Paxton. The Daily Beast reported that Neil Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush, revealed in a Facebook post that he had made his choice: Democrat James Talarico. It also reported that Thomas Henry, a top donor to Paxton during the GOP primary, announced support for Talarico ².

What happens next

Trump's Texas stops are Tuesday. Election Day is Nov. 3 ². The White House referred questions about the football appearances to the Republican National Committee, which had not responded when the Daily Beast published ².

That matters because Republicans are working to keep a Senate seat in a state they have long counted on. Bringing in famous athletes suggests the party sees turnout, especially among younger men, as a weak spot. Whether it works will be settled by the votes cast over the next week.

The Record

1. Oct 19, 2026Fox 4 reports Trump will return to Texas to rally for Ken Paxton, whose Senate race against James Talarico is a 'dead heat' ³.
2. Oct 26, 2026Reports name Manziel, McCoy and Amendola as Trump's guests for Texas stops ¹².
3. Oct 27, 2026Trump campaigns in Lubbock and Corpus Christi with the three former players ¹².

Sources

1. Yahoo Sports (Houston Chronicle), “Johnny Manziel among former Texas college football stars to stump with Trump” (2026-10-26). sports.yahoo.com/articles/johnny-manziel-among-former-texas-
2. The Daily Beast, “Donald Trump Tries to Enlist Football Stars in Ultimate Hail Mary” (2026-10-26). thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-tries-to-enlist-football-star
3. FOX 4 News, “Trump returning to Texas next week for campaign rallies” (2026-10-19). fox4news.com/election/trump-returning-texas-next-week-campai

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