Photo of Matthew McConaughey courtesy of David Torcivia wikimedia Photo of Governor Greg Abbott courtesy of World Travel & Tourism Council Wikimedia

“Alright, alright, alright!” is what Texans think of Matthew McConaughey according to a recent poll which shows him crushing incumbent Greg Abbott in a run for governor of the Lone Star State. 

The Hollywood star and native Texan recently expressed interest in running for Governor saying, it is a “true consideration.”

Matthew McConaughey Has Global Name Recognition

Despite his relatively moderate views, Texas voters support his common sense style according to a poll from The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler.

Academy Award winner McConaughey leads Abbott 45% to 33% according to poll results. The remaining 22% said they would vote for another candidate. 

RELATED: Matthew McConaughey Reveals Running For Governor Of Texas Is ‘A True Consideration’

While a guest on “First Class Fatherhood,” the Texas dad explained that he is looking to take a leadership role. You can watch a clip from that video in the tweet below. 


Greg Abbott is a two-term Texas Governor who is getting praised for lifting the state’s mask mandate and COVID-19 restrictions. But McConaughey’s name ID helps completely trounce him. 

“Matthew McConaughey gets a huge boost from tremendous name recognition and recognition for what he does to help Texans and add to the celebration of the state’s successes,” UT-Tyler political scientist Mark Owens said about the poll. “Most of our survey respondents know his story, but many are waiting to see how he opens his next chapter.”

McConaughey Critical Of Political System

While the actor has patriotic and traditional points of view, he has criticized extremists on both sides of the aisle. He finds fault with the entire political system and is critical of both parties.

McConaughey believes leaders on both sides of the aisle have lost trust in each other. 

The two party system might end up being the actor’s political downfall as he would likely have to run in a primary to have the best chance.

Roughly 56% of Republicans polled chose Governor Abbott compared to only 30% for McConaughey. Democrats overall  66% to 8% for the “Dallas Buyers Club” actor.

However, 51% of those who are Democratic primary voters would prefer a progressive governor over a more moderate candidate like McConaughey.  

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The actor might consider running as an Independent, but in a state like Texas, that may embolden the Democrat nominee. 

Matthew McConaughey has not kicked off a campaign or made an announcement. The reality of everything will hit if he sits down to speak with campaign consultants who will go over the exhausting schedule of campaigning statewide.

Texas has a lot of ground to cover. 

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