A new Quinnipiac poll Wednesday shows Texans are split on the job Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is doing, and about 41% said they would vote for actor Matthew McConaughey to replace him.
According to the poll, Abbott is starting to trend underwater with 48% saying he does not deserve another term in office and 46% saying he should be re-elected.
"A Trump favorite in a state that is turning less red in recent election cycles, Abbott has a decent but in no way overwhelming grasp on reelection," Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said.
As far as competition goes, former Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke is also underwater with voters saying 52-41% that he should not run for the state’s top job.
McConaughey, 51, is a Texas son, and has appeared in several movies including, “Failure to Launch,” “The Lincoln Lawyer,” “We Are Marshall,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” and “Interstellar,” among many others, according to the International Movie Database.
In the poll, 41% gave him a thumbs up to run, and 47% said they do not want to see him on the ballot.
He gets most of his support from Independents, 47-43% favoring a run, and Democrats 44-43% narrowly approving.
Republicans, on the other hand, say no, 60-29%.
“The camera loves them, but do they have the star power and the political chops to corral the big job in Austin?” Malloy said of the possible contenders. “McConaughey and O'Rourke may still be on the fence, but their numbers suggest they have the attention of voters."
According to a May story in Politico, the actor is giving the proposition “true consideration.”
“I find it improbable, but it’s not out of the question,” Republican strategist Karl Rove said in the report.
Not everyone thinks the matchup with Abbott is an impossible dream.
“I’m a little more surprised that people aren’t taking him more seriously, honestly,” said Brendan Steinhauser, an Austin-based GOP strategist. “Celebrity in this country counts for a lot … it’s not like some C-list actor no one likes. He has an appeal.”
The thing about McConaughey is what party would he run with, or even what are his political leanings?
No one seems to know.
“The question is: Would he run as a Republican? A Democrat? Independent? And where is he on the political scale? He says he has a funny phrase about being a hardcore centrist, but what party would he run under?” Rove said in the Politico article.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.