Another tease: Matthew McConaughey says on podcast he's 'measuring' a run for office
by: Billy Gates
Posted: Sep 23, 2021 / 01:48 PM CDT
Updated: Sep 23, 2021 / 06:51 PM CDT
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Matthew McConaughey yet again hinted that he wants to run for political office.
According to KXAN's sister publication The Hill, McConaughey said on the "Set It Straight: Myths and Legends" podcast with the country band Midland that he's "measuring it."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Matthew McConaughey again teases possible run for Texas governor on Ellen show
"Well, thank you, man. I'm measuring it. Look, it's going to be in some capacity," he said. "I just — I'm more of a folksy and philosopher-poet statesman than I am a, per se, definitive politician."
Midland members urged McConaughey to run for office and said they admired "his ability to spread awareness and positivity."
The actor-author-professor-philanthropist-Austinite made comments in May on Ellen Degeneres Show about running for office after country music legends Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood asked him about it.
Before then, in March, he said he was entering a "new chapter" in his life, and while he wants to raise his three children, he said he'd give the idea of political office, including a potential run for Governor, "serious consideration."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Matthew McConaughey says his 'new chapter' will likely include politics
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) hopes McConaughey doesn't get in the race, describing him as a "formidable candidate," during an interview on "The Hugh Hewitt Show," The Hill reported.
In a poll by Quinnipiac University in June, people showed support for a potential McConaughey gubernatorial run: 41% of Texans who were polled said they'd like to see him in the 2022 election for governor while 47% were against it. The six percentage points between the results were closer than the pollsters' feeling about Beto O'Rourke getting in the race — 52% of those polled said they didn't want O'Rourke to run while 41% did.
Weather & Traffic In-Depth / 29 mins ago
Austin / 1 hour ago
KXAN Texas Politics Newsletter