Matthew McConaughey is not going to run for Texas governor: ‘It’s a path I’m choosing not to take’

Matthew McConaughey has announced that he will not be running for Texas governor in 2022.

On Sunday (28 November), the Dallas Buyers Club actor posted a video on Twitter to reveal his decision not to “take the path” of politics — over a year after McConaughey first said he was mulling the possibility of a political career.

“Over the past two years, I’ve been working on the answer to the question of how I can be most useful in this life, going forward. Useful to myself, useful to my family, and to the most amount of people. One category of service I’ve been exploring is politics. I’ve been considering a run for the governor of Texas,” the actor began in the three-minute video.

“I’ve been listening, I’ve been learning, I’ve been measuring, and studying Texas politics and American politics. What have I learned? A lot.”

The Oscar winner continued: “That we have some problems we need to fix. That our politics needs new purpose. That we have divides that need healing. That we need more trust in our lives. That we gotta start shining a light on our shared values — the ones that cross party lines, the ones that build bridges, instead of burn ‘em.”

A poll conducted by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas earlier this year revealed that 45 per cent of people surveyed would vote for McConaughey if he ran for governor of his home state. Only 33 per cent would pick incumbent Greg Abbott, giving the actor a double-digit poll lead over the Republican politician who is currently serving his second term as governor of the Lone Star State.

Reflecting on the meaning of service and leadership, McConaughey said “freedom comes with responsibility and that great leaders serve”.

“Whether a politician, CEO, star quarterback, mother, father, husband, wife, brother, friend, mentor, or teacher — we lead by serving each other. We lead through our service. Service is taking on responsibility today, so we can have more freedom tomorrow. Service is making the better choice for you and for me. Service is the investment we make in ourselves.”

McConaughey made the case that when we serve others, we actually serve ourselves, asking: “Do we have the courage to help out more than we hurt?”

The actor, who was born in the “little town of Uvalde, Texas,” said he never expected to be considered for political leadership one day.

“It’s a humbling and inspiring path to ponder,” McConaughey said, adding: “It is also a path that I’m choosing not to take at this moment.”

Instead, the 51-year-old actor said he would continue to work and invest his “bounty” by supporting the “entrepreneurs, businesses, and foundations that I believe are leaders.”

In March this year, McConaughey told a Houston-based podcast host that running for Texas governor was a “true consideration” and that he was contemplating what the “category of the next chapter” of his life would look like.

Appearing on The Hugh Hewitt Show in November last year, McConaughey had said that politics appeared to be a “broken business” that needed to redefine its purpose.