Matthew McConaughey says he won't run for Texas governor 'at this moment'

Matthew McConaughey answered one big question and left open several others in a video he posted Sunday about his future in politics. The news is that he is not running for governor of Texas next year. "As a simple kid born in the little town of Uvalde, Texas, it never occurred to me that I would be considered for political leadership," the actor said. "It's a humbling and inspiring path to ponder. It is also a path that I'm choosing not to take at this moment."
The filing deadline for the Texas primaries are in just over two weeks. And one of the questions McConaughey did not answer is whether he would have entered the Republican gubernatorial primary, Democratic primary, or run as an independent. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is running for a third term, and while he has a handful of primary challengers, he is expected to win the nomination. The most prominent Democrat to have jumped in the race is former Rep. Beto O'Rourke.
McConaughey led both Abbott and O'Rourke in recent polling, but he "never did much to elaborate on how he would have run, and he did not seem particularly attuned to political events in Texas," The Texas Tribune notes. He has previously described himself as "aggressively centrist."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
O'Rourke was among those that have pinned McConaughey's robust poll numbers in part on his political blank canvas. "He's a really popular figure whose political views have not in any way been fixed," O'Rourke said in September. McConaughey hasn't said which party he identifies with more or even who he voted for in 2020, and "I don't know how he feels about any of the issues that we've brought up."
McConaughey did explain his views on leadership and what he would like to see in political leaders, and he offered that instead of running for political leadership himself, he plans to continue supporting "entrepreneurs, businesses, and foundations that I believe are leaders" and that are "creating pathways for people to succeed in life."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland
-
Trump declares new tariffs on drugs, trucks, furniture
Speed Read He's putting tariffs of 25% on semi trucks, 30% on upholstered furniture, 50% on kitchen and bathroom cabinetry and 100% on certain drugs
-
Amazon reaches ‘historic’ $2.5B Prime settlement
speed read The company allegedly tricked customers into signing up for Prime membership that was then difficult to cancel
-
Trump DOJ indicts Comey, longtime Trump target
Speed Read The president is using the Justice Department to prosecute his political enemies