Current:Home > ScamsActor Matthew McConaughey tells governors he is still mulling future run for political office -AdvancementTrade
Actor Matthew McConaughey tells governors he is still mulling future run for political office
View
Date:2025-04-15 15:32:54
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Actor Matthew McConaughey continued to tease he might run for political office to a room full of governors Friday, joshing about drinking his brand of tequila with at least one of them the night before and taking advice from another to be himself if he ever does run.
Whether the star known for “Dazed and Confused,” “A Time to Kill” and “True Detective” would run as a Democrat or Republican, and for what office, remained unknown. McConaughey has been vague about his political affiliation and didn’t tip his hand at the National Governors Association meeting.
“I’m on a learning tour and have been for probably the last six years,” McConaughey told New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who asked about his plans. “Do I have the instincts and intellect that it would be a good fit for me and I would be a good for it. You know, would I be useful?”
He was learning a lot at the governors’ annual summer meeting, he told Murphy.
“I learned a lot from you last night through that tequila, sir,” he kidded Murphy, who’d brought up drinking McConaughey’s tequila with him.
McConaughey took part in a panel discussion with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, about how to promote civility in politics.
Cox, the genial governor of famously polite Utah, has led a “Disagree Better” campaign to counter harsh rhetoric and combativeness in government — a project that has caught the attention of McConaughey, who’s also been outspoken about U.S. leaders practicing more respect.
The three discussed how politicians’ need to grab attention — and clicks online — drive extreme rhetoric. McConaughey said that extreme polarization has bled into Hollywood as well.
“My industry has to watch its tongue out of the gate because it’s coming from the left. We have to open that conversation with our opening statements and not invalidate a moderate or conservative at the gate, which we’re guilty of to an extent,” McConaughey remarked of actors and directors weighing in on politics.
McConaughey hinted in 2022 he might run for governor in his home state of Texas. He has meanwhile been outspoken on gun control, urging Congress from the White House after that year’s school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, to pass legislation to bolster background checks for gun purchases and raise the minimum age to purchase an AR-15-style rifle to 21 from 18.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a Democrat, encouraged McConaughey to someday run and offered advice.
“Don’t fall into the trap to think you should be just one thing,” said Green. “A lot of Republicans will want you to be Republican and a lot of Democrats will want you to be a Democrat, just be you because that might be something special for all of us.”
___
Gruver contributed from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Many animals seized from troubled Virginia zoo will not be returned, judge rules
- 6 nuns have been kidnapped in Haiti while they were traveling on a bus, religious leaders say
- Sea level rise could cost Europe billions in economic losses, study finds
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Morocoin Trading Exchange: The Gateway to the World of Web3.0
- Human head and hands found in Colorado freezer during cleanup of recently sold house
- Recovering from natural disasters is slow and bureaucratic. New FEMA rules aim to cut the red tape
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Developers Seek Big Changes to the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s Southgate Extension, Amid Sustained Opposition
Ranking
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- March for Life 2024: Anti-abortion advocates plan protest in nation's capital
- For Netflix documentaries, there’s no place like Sundance
- Teen Mom's Kailyn Lowry Gives Birth to Twins, Welcomes Baby No. 6 and 7
- Sam Taylor
- 6 nuns have been kidnapped in Haiti while they were traveling on a bus, religious leaders say
- More than 580,000 beds sold at Walmart, Wayfair and Overstock recalled because they can break or collapse
- Rifts emerge among top Israeli officials over how to handle the war against Hamas in Gaza
Recommendation
New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
US Navy fighter jets strike Houthi missile launchers in Yemen, officials say
Prosecutors arrest flight attendant on suspicion of trying to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
Fans sue Madonna, Live Nation over New York concert starting 2 hours late
'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
Protests by farmers and others in Germany underline deep frustration with the government
Ashley Park Shares She Was Hospitalized After Suffering From Critical Septic Shock
Police reports and video released of campus officer kneeling on teen near Las Vegas high school