Texas Democratic chair says party would ‘welcome’ McConaughey governor run

Texas’s Democratic Party chair said that he and his party would “welcome” actor Matthew McConaughey if he decided to run for governor of the state.
Gilberto Hinojosa told Politico in an interview published Sunday that he would be open to McConaughey running on the Democratic ticket.
“He’s young, good-looking, smart and has a little wildness — but this is Texas,” Hinojosa told the outlet. “We like that stuff.”
Though the actor has not disclosed which party he would run under — if at all — Hinojosa clarified that McConaughey has not yet reached out to his party.
“He has not reached out to the party that I know of. It’s absolutely up in the air,” he said.
Hinojosa also warned that if McConaughey chose to run as an independent, he would be handing the election over to current Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is up for reelection in 2022.
“If he wants to run as an independent, he’d be a spoiler and guarantee Abbott gets elected,” he said, according to Politico.
McConaughey has recently begun calling influential people in Texas politics to gauge their interest in him running for governor, including a wealthy moderate Republican and energy CEO.
In March, McConaughey said that he was seriously considering throwing his hat into the ring.
“It’s a true consideration,” he said of a gubernatorial bid at the time, adding, “Because I do think I have some things to teach and share, and what is my role? What’s my category in my next chapter of life that I’m going into?”
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