Gov. McConaughey? Polls Say Alright, Alright, Alright

Actor is currently at 45% to Gov. Abbott's 33%, if he runs in Texas
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 19, 2021 2:35 AM CDT
Matthew McConaughey, Texas Governor? His Chances Are Decent
Matthew McConaughey, a cast member in the upcoming film "White Boy Rick," addresses the audience during the Sony Pictures Entertainment presentation at CinemaCon on April 23, 2018, in Las Vegas.   (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

Matthew McConaughey has been talking about a gubernatorial run in his home state of Texas for a few months now, and if he does actually enter next year's race, a new poll gives him pretty good odds. Specifically, the Dallas Morning News/University of Texas at Tyler poll finds that 45% of registered voters in the state would pick the actor, compared to 33% who would vote for current Gov. Greg Abbott. However, the Morning News notes that McConaughey, who has criticized both Republicans and Democrats and describes himself as "aggressively centrist," could face problems in the primary.

For example, 51% of Democratic primary voters indicated they prefer a progressive candidate; just 25% opted for a centrist. So if he runs as a Democrat, his status as a moderate could prove problematic. On the Republican side, the story was similar: Just 20% said they'd like to see a centrist in office. However, some pro-Trump voters on that side do tend to like celebrities, the poll director notes. And one conservative independent voter says McConaughey is indeed comparable to Trump, being that he's an outsider who's not afraid to call the system out. KXAN reports that in a separate April poll, 63% of respondents said celebrities can make good politicians, and 58% indicated it would be a good idea for McConaughey to run for governor. (Similarly, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for president?)

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