Matthew McConaughey Is Winning the Race for Texas Governor Before He Even Entered It

Matthew McConaughey could be the next governor of Texas. He’s been notably humble and low-key about the prospect of running, but according to Fox News he’s out to a commanding lead over incumbent Governor Greg Abbott in the latest opinion polls.

The 51-year-old Oscar winner, a Texas native, has been teasing a potential run against Abbott for weeks. He recently told the host of “The Hugh Hewitt Show” that “it would be up to the people more than it would me” whether or not he pivots his career into politics.

Now, in a new poll conducted by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler, it seems the people have spoken. McConaughey has a commanding lead over Abbot, with 45% of those polled saying they would cast their vote for him versus 33% who would stick with Abbott.

Let’s call this the honeymoon period, though. As Fox points out, when it comes to actual issues, McConaughey doesn’t much appear to the majority of Democrats or Republicans in the state. He’s been presenting himself as a centrist while the electorate has been solidifying to the left and the right of the center.

Once McConaughey declares for the race and has to start saying what he wants to accomplish and what policies he supports, it’s likely the honeymoon will be over. Theoretical candidates always perform better than actual candidates. And people will have to decide for themselves if an actor and celebrity is a good choice for a political leader, considering how poorly that’s gone in the past.

Although unlike other politicians, McConaughey only played a guy who hit on high school girls in a movie, so he has that going for him.