Beto O’Rourke Not Surprised McConaughey Beats Abbott In Hypothetical Race

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) isn’t surprised that actor Matthew McConaughey beat Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in a hypothetical matchup.

“If you’re talking about McConaughey, he’s a really popular figure whose political views have not in any way been fixed,” he told the Sway podcast. “I don’t know, for example, who he voted for in the most consequential election since 1864 in this country. I don’t know how he feels about any of the issues that we’ve brought up. So I think that might explain part of it.”

O’Rourke himself is a potential 2022 candidate against Abbott.

According to a poll conducted by the Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler, 37% of respondents would vote for O’Rourke next year.

But McConaughey was still the clear winner – coming in nine percentage points above Abbott and seven percentage points above O’Rourke.

Still, O’Rourke maintains that he admires McConaughey’s work. “I’m a fan of his and I’ve been so impressed by how he’s used his celebrity and star power to help others,” he said.

Nonetheless, McConaughey still seems on the fence about a potential gubernatorial run. “I’m more of a folksy and philosopher-poet statesman than I am a, per se, definitive politician,” said the actor recently.