Alright, alright, alright! Last week, actor Matthew McConaughey told the Austin American-statesmen that he was seriously considering running for Governor of Texas.
Ecstatic, I shared the news on my social media feeds. I got a few messages and comments from a few friends and acquaintances that expressed a variety of different reactions from dismay to excitement and from skepticism to downright hostility.
Most of the skepticism or hostility is rooted in the fact that McConaughey is a celebrity. Hollywood celebrities, in some minds (especially MAGA folks), don’t belong in politics — oh, the irony…
Celebrities having a go at politics isn’t new. In fact, many past celebrities have been able to harness their star power into formidable campaigns and successfully win seats at the state and national levels. Examples of celebrities that became politicians in recent years include Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Al Franken, Fred Thompson, and Jesse Ventura.
Matthew McConaughey’s serious consideration of the Texas governorship shouldn’t be dismissed. I personally think the state would benefit greatly from him winning the election in 2022 and unseating the current incumbent, Governor Greg Abbott. Additionally, I seriously think he could win.
Here are the reasons why I think Matthew McConaughey could become the next Governor of Texas:
…
He’s “aggressively centrist”
America is more polarized than ever before in recent history.
As an example, McConaughey explains the reason he believes for the fighting between the far-left and far-right is that they live in their own bubbles and refuse to face reality. When Donald Trump won the election in 2016, he said Hollywood liberals couldn’t believe it because of how patronizing they can be towards the right. As for the right, he cited how many of Trump’s followers couldn’t believe Biden won because of how they consumed fake news.
The actor has described himself as “aggressively centrist”. He believes that electing centrist politicians would help alleviate some of the polarization problems.
I’m a pragmatist. While I don’t know if electing centrist politicians would fix all of our country’s problems, I know a centrist can win Texas. Democrats have seen successes against Republican incumbents in purple states by following a middle-of-the-road campaign such as those seen with Kyrsten Sinema (D) and Mark Kelly (D) in their respective Arizona US Senate races.
Matthew McConaughey’s centrist beliefs could be the ticket to Governor’s Mansion in the historically red state.
…
He believes COVID-19 is a real threat
Matthew McConaughey is serious about the threat of COVID-19 and implores his fellow Texans to take care of each other and follow mask guidelines.
In a few viral videos in 2020, the actor pleaded with fellow Americans for unity against the pandemic after expressing frustration at the polarization of masks and to do their part with mask-wearing. He also later got the chance to interview Anthony Fauci, the leading advisor for the US response for COVID-19, to clear up questions for the American public.
Governor Abbott, on the other hand, had not taken COVID-19 seriously from the beginning. He rushed to open the state back in late April 2020 and as a result, had to shut down businesses in June after a surge in infections and deaths.
Just earlier this month, the Governor decided it was time to re-open Texas again along with a lift on the mask mandate. To me, this is incredibly short-sighted and reckless, especially with vaccinations for the entire country on the horizon.
…
He’s extremely driven at whatever task he sets his mind to
Because of his many roles in romantic comedy over the years, Matthew McConaughey was typecasted as the specific type. He went through a “McConaissance” and shifted to more serious roles in the early 2010s.
This shift allowed the public to see how versatile, skilled, and adaptable he was. The actor has won numerous awards across his career and is described as a talented actor. In fact, when Christopher Nolan brought on McConaughey onto the film Interstellar, he first assumed that “McConaughey would be loose and laid-back, but found him to be intense and serious about his work.”
Knowing how dedicated he is to his work, we could expect the same level of dedication, attention, and seriousness he would apply to the governor’s chair as he would with his actor work.
…
He’s a great public speaker
At a graduation ceremony for the University of Houston in 2016, Matthew McConaughey delivered an infamous speech. According to Rev, it is considered one of the best motivational speeches of all time. The speech demonstrated his ability to inspire others using his words, a critical trait needed for politicians.
McConaughey is also a best-selling author. His memoir, Greenlights, details his personal philosophy on life and life experiences. It’s not been uncommon for people that were interested in political careers to write memoirs to give the public a glimpse into who they are (Hello, Barack Obama).
…
Governor Abbot is not popular
If there is the perfect time for Matthew McConaughey to run, it would be now, especially considering how unpopular Texas Governor Greg Abbott is.
In a recent poll, conducted by the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs, Governor Abbott has a 39 percent approval rating, due in part to how he’s handled the pandemic. In October 2018, Ted Cruz (R) was at a 42 percent approval rating before barely defeating Beto O’Rourke (D) a month later for the US Senate race.
Abbott’s unpopularity could serve as a huge advantage for a political newcomer like Matthew McConaughey.
…
Texas is purple
There’s no doubt about it — Texas is now a purple state.
Thanks to ongoing demographic changes such as college-educated white voters shifting left, growing minority communities, and an influx of new residents from liberal-leaning states, Texas has been seen as a competitive state in the past few elections.
In the past few high-profile elections, Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump by 9 points, Beto O’Rourke lost by nearly 3 points to Ted Cruz in 2018 for US Senate. Donald Trump won Texas again in 2020, albeit with a larger margin (5.4%) than 2018’s Senate race, it was still smaller than 2016. The state was still competitive enough for Republicans to pour resources into the state to keep it in their hands.
There’s no guarantee that McCoughney would run as a Democrat, but in my mind, the path to victory would be easier if he did. Texas’s political landscape is ripe for change and the numbers prove that.
…
Politics is about name recognition.
There might be scorn about celebrities running for office, but there’s one thing celebrities have when it comes to advantages — name recognition.
Politics is an expensive game and the costs keep going up. 2020 was the most expensive political election in history for the United States. “The total cost of the 2020 election will nearly reach an unprecedented $14 billion, making it the most expensive election in history and twice as expensive as the previous presidential election cycle,” according to an estimated from The Center for Responsive Politics.
Part of Beto O’Rourke’s near-success in defeating Ted Cruz in 2018 was because of his ability to fundraise. He broke records by raising a staggering $80 million in his election before having that record broken by several Senate races in 2020.
Matthew McConaughey is a household name and would be able to leverage his star power in a way that could help keep costs down during a potential election. Donald Trump was able to win the Republican primary and overcome Hillary Clinton in the general election despite spending less money against his political opponents, thanks in part to his media personality and personal brand.
When McConaughey runs, he won’t have to overcome the same problems that some politicians face when they set their eyes on higher offices such as voters asking “Who?” and “Oh, I never heard of him/her.”
…
Beto O’Rourke might not win
Beto O’Rourke is the wild card here. Recently, O’Rourke has been on the attack against Governor Abbott, criticizing his response to the pandemic and accusing him of costing thousands of Texan lives.
There has been speculation that O’Rourke could run for Governor himself in 2022. O’Rourke himself has speculated he could run but promised he would do what he could to help defeat Greg Abbott when the time came.
It would make a lot of sense for Beto O’Rourke to run for Governor. He’s easily the most recognizable Democrat in Texas. He has a vast network of loyal supporters through his organization, Powered by People, capable of launching ground operations that could help drive the vote and fundraise.
The only problem is that Beto O’Rourke might not be electable in a statewide election because of his stance on assault rifles, declared on a debate stage during the Democratic presidential primaries when he had his eyes set on the highest office in the land.
Though his stance might be beloved by liberals, his call for bans on assault rifles could turn off voters in the gun-loving state. He would constantly be forced onto the defensive, painted as a bogeyman that would come to voters’ houses to take their guns away from them.
Although Matthew McConaughey’s stance on guns isn’t known, he would be able to begin the election with a clean slate. Knowing his centrist nature, he could possibly strike a middle ground on guns that would be palatable for Texan voters.
…
Closing Thoughts
Due to Governor Greg Abbott’s handling of the pandemic, his popularity has sunk to new lows and represents a prime opportunity to change Texas politics.
Texas has been reliably red for years due to gerrymandering, voter suppression, and lack of ground organization among the Texas Democratic Party. And despite becoming more competitive in recent years, it still won’t be easy.
Abbott’s opponent would need to be well-funded, easily recognizable, and harness enough enthusiasm in an off-year election to win.
Matthew McConaughey is seriously considering the prospect of running but says that it “wouldn’t be up to [him]. It would be up to the people more than it would [him]” to decide to run.
McConaughey may not be a darling to the progressives or the MAGA crowd, but he’s a far better alternative compared to the current incumbent. Due to the reasons I’ve laid above, I think Matthew McConaughey is a prime choice to take the Governor’s Mansion and restore common-sense politics that would resonate with Texans, both left and right. Let’s help convince him of that.
—
This post was previously published on medium.com.
***
If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project and want a deeper connection with our community, please join us as a Premium Member today.
Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
—
Photo credit: Shutterstock.com