Matthew McConaughey has confirmed that he is considering running for Texas governor.
McConaughey is a Texas-born actor and producer known for playing Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club.
He revealed during an appearance on The Balanced Voice podcast on Wednesday, March 10 that he is mulling over the idea of running for governor of the Lone Star State.
When host Rania Mankarious (see YouTube video below) asked the Oscar-winning actor whether he was considering running for governor of Texas, he said it was a “true consideration.”
“I’m looking into now again, what is my leadership role?” the Greenlights author said. “Because I do think I have some things to teach and share, and what is my role? What’s my category in my next chapter of life that I’m going into?”
McConaughey’s latest comments come as the incumbent Texas governor Greg Abbott is up for reelection next year.
McConaughey previously said his decision to run for Texas governor would be ‘up to the people’
McConaughey, 51, confirmed that he is considering running for governor of Texas after he refused to rule out the option during an appearance on The Hugh Hewitt Show in November 2020.
When the show host asked the True Detective actor if he planned to run for governor of the state, he said “it would be up to the people.”
“I don’t know. I mean, that wouldn’t be up to me, ” he said. “It would be up to the people more than it would me.”
“Look, politics seems to be a broken business to me right now,” he continued. “And when politics redefines its purpose, I could be a hell of a lot more interested.”
Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves are known for their philanthropic activities in their home state of Texas. Monsters and Critics reported back in March 2020 that they delivered masks to hospitals in rural Texas as part of their contribution to the COVID-19 relief effort.
McConaughey has not said whether he will run as a Democrat or a Republican
McConaughey has so far avoided identifying with the left or right of the political spectrum, or whether he will run as a Democrat or as a Republican.
However, his comments so far suggest he is taking a “centrist” position, according to USA Today.
During an appearance on Good Morning Britain (see video below) in December, he said that while we “need liberals… what I don’t think we need [are] the illiberals.”
He had previously indicated that by “illiberals,” he meant the “extreme left” and the “extreme right.”
“The extreme left and the extreme right completely illegitimize the other side, the liberal and the conservative side which we need in certain places,” he said. “The two extremes legitimize those two sides, or they exaggerate that side’s stance into an irrational state that makes no sense – and that’s not fair when either side does that.”
Fans will have to wait and see if he decides to run for office.