Matthew McConaughey’s Bid To Be Texas’ New Governor Is Heating Up
Matthew McConaughey looks like he's making a more formal push to be the Governor of Texas. He's started making calls about a possible run
This article is more than 2 years old
Could we see Matthew McConaughey eventually move off the big screen and into the big seat in Texas? It’s looking more and more like the case every day with the rumor mill picking up about the actor apparently making a bid for the state’s governor role. Politico is reporting that Matthew McConaughey has started making some phone calls to those with deep pockets to take the temperature on his possible run. This had been speculated for some time that he was considering the option, but now it looks like there is possibly a little more formality to the pursuit.
Now, making phone calls and putting your hat into the political ring are much different things. Just because he’s weighing his options about the Texas Governor seat doesn’t mean we are going to see him hitting the campaign trail anytime soon. But it does follow a trajectory that could land the actor in the political mire sooner than later. Rumors have been circulating for quite some time that Matthew McConaughey was interested in this path possibly following his acting career and maybe he sees the landscape as better right now to making a bid.
In the Politico reporting, Matthew McConaughey was making calls to influential (read: rich) Texans about this possibility of running for Governor, likely putting out some trial balloons about where certain folks would lean their support if push came to shove. Any political run is extremely expensive, and through McConaughey is rich in his own right, those dollars wouldn’t be enough to mount opposition to current Governor Greg Abbot. He’d need help from the political elite in the state to make a true push in this respect.
Additionally, though he’s making calls right now to certain influencers and donors in the state, many are speculating this is still only in the exploratory stage and far from actually stepping into the ring. There’s a feeling that Matthew McConaughey might be hesitant to risk tarnishing the name and Texas “brand” he’s built up over the years in an effort to get down and dirty with the nonsense that typically enters the more day political arena. The laid-back machismo and certain stoner je ne sais quoi he’s brought to the big screen all of these years might play very differently when actually on the stump.
But that doesn’t mean Matthew McConaughey hasn’t been putting some pieces in place recently that could align with a political bid in Texas. He’s started a YouTube channel to reach more people on a one-on-one level, gaining access to a base of voters that few other politicians could ever hope to have. He’s also become big with charitable events in the state, headlining and organizing events that would play well to a certain subset of voters. One of those is the Just Keep Livin Foundation which is geared towards helping out those in the state of Texas.
Before he ends up possibly making a run for Texas governor though, Matthew McConaughey does have some work coming on the screen. He’s setting up to reprise his Jake Brigance role from A Time to Kill in a follow-up story A Time for Mercy on HBO Max. That being said, the upcoming credits are looking light. Maybe he’s keeping his calendar open to begin that political run after all.
