Will Matthew McConaughey Run for Office in His Home State of Texas?
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Actor Matthew McConaughey recently addressed rumors that he’ll run for office in his home state of Texas while on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The talk show was guest hosted by married country singers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.
Reports on the actor’s political plans have focused on the Texas governorship. McConaughey didn’t exactly give a definitive answer about his future, but it certainly sounds like he’s interested in being a leader in some form.
Is Matthew McConaughey Running for Office?
Brooks asked McConaughey over video chat whether he planned to get into politics, adding, “We need somebody with the courage of you just to speak how you feel.” Yearwood agreed, saying she would vote for the actor, and the audience applauded.
McConaughey said he was giving it “honest consideration.”
“What an awesome privilege, awesome responsibility, awesome position of sacrifice and service. Something to consider,” he said.
“I’ve got a new chapter coming up in my life,” McConaughey continued. “I think I’ve got some gifts as a leader. I think I’ve got some gifts as a learner and a listener and a teacher. What’s my category, though? Where am I most useful? To the most amount of people, and to myself and my family.”
The actor said he might be better as a “free agent.” But shared that he’s “doing some under-the-hood, 360 work inside of me and measuring what my next step should be.”
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What Political Party Would McConaughey Run As?
The Texas Tribune reports that McConaughey’s political affiliations are hard to pin down. He apparently hasn’t voted in a Texas primary since 2012. He also hasn’t made campaign contributions and hasn’t shared which party he would run within.
McConaughey also hasn’t spoken out about many specific policy issues, although he has advocated for laws to prevent gun violence. In an interview with Russell Brand last year, the actor said he was “in the middle” politically.
“There’s a lot on that illiberal left that absolutely condescend, patronize and are arrogant towards that other 50 percent,” McConaughey said during the interview, going on to say that the right has “been fed fake news.” He added that America should “get aggressively centric.”
McConaughey has been promoting his new book, Greenlights. The actor said on Ellen that he wants people to see themselves in his story.
