According to a poll conducted by the Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas Tyler, actor Matthew McConaughey leads Beto O’Rourke by 22 points in the Texas gubernatorial race.
The star of Dazed and Confused is rumored to run for governor in Texas.
The survey asked respondents the following question: “Would you be likely to support Matthew McConaughey more than Beto O’Rourke?”
In total, McConaughey received 49% support, which was 22% higher than the 27% that O’Rourke received.
Independent voters overwhelmingly favored McConaughey, with 51% supporting the Hollywood star.
On the other hand, O’Rourke only received 20% of support from independents.
Among Democrats, O’Rourke is still more popular. 52% of them backed the former member of U.S. Congress, while only 34% of Democrats backed McConaughey.
When support for Gov. Greg Abbott, O’Rourke, and McConaughey was questioned, Abbott was in the lead with 37%, then McConaughey and O’Rourke trailing, at 27% and 26% support, respectively.
However, respondents indicated that they would prefer McConaughey over Abbott in a head-to-head race, 43% to 35%.
As for an Abbott and O’Rourke matchup, Abbott holds a 45% to 39% advantage.
In total, 40% of respondents indicated that they want McConaughey to run for Texas governor, while 33% do not want him to run for higher office.
Over the past few months, McConaughey has hinted at running for governor. While making an appearance on the podcast Set it Straight: Myths and Legends, the Dazed and Confused star revealed he was still entertaining the idea of running for governor.
“I’m measuring it. Look, it’s going to be in some capacity. … I just — I’m more of a folksy and philosopher-poet statesman than I am a, per se, definitive politician,” he stated. “So I go, well, that’s a reason not to, but then I go, no, that’s exactly why you should, because politics needs redefinition, but I’m measuring, you know, what is my category? What’s my embassy?”
Although McConaughey holds several views that align with Democrat voters, he has received criticism from the left after saying that he “couldn’t mandate having to vaccinate the younger kids” when he made an appearance at the New York Times DealBook summit.
Afterward, the actor went on to Instagram to add some context to his statement, where he told his followers that he is not opposed to vaccinating all children.
“What is NOT true, and insinuated by clickbait headlines since is that I am against vaccinating kids at all,” McConaughey posted on Instagram. “This is false. In fact, our eldest 13-year-old son Levi is full vaccinated for COVID 19.”
In October, he criticized Texas’s heartbeat law, which banned abortions after medical professionals can detect a fetal heartbeat.
Further, McConaughey praised O’Rourke, describing him as a “good man” who possesses the “right kind of compassion that a liberal-sided politician needs and is necessary.”