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- Actor Matthew McConaughey has said that running for Texas governor is a "true consideration."
- If he were to run, he'd have a 12 point lead over the current governor – Gov. Greg Abbott.
- McConaughey is especially popular with Democrats, The Dallas Morning News and UT-Tyler poll found.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Texans would rather vote for actor Matthew McConaughey than Gov. Greg Abbott, according to a poll released by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler.
The "Dallas Buyers Club" star has flirted with the idea of running for governor, referring to it as a "true consideration" during a March appearance on "The Balanced Voice" podcast.
If he were to run, the poll of 1,126 registered voters found that 45 percent of registered voters would back him. That would give McConaughey a double-digit lead over the current governor, polling at 33 percent among those surveyed.
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It's unclear whether McConaughey, 51, who has criticized both of the major parties, would run as a Republican or Democrat. The poll, conducted between April 6 and 13, shows that he would perform considerably better with Democratic voters.
Among Democrats, 66 percent said they support the Hollywood star over their current governor.
A majority of Republican voters - 56 percent - said they would prefer to vote for Abbott, compared to 30 percent for McConaughey.
Independents also like the Hollywood leading man: 44 percent said they would vote for McConaughey, while 28 percent said they wanted to keep Abbott in office.
The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.92 percentage points.
The next Texas gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2021. Abbott is running for re-election to a third term.
So far, internet personality Chad Prather, military veteran Kurt Schwab, Libertarian Dan Behrman, and the Reform Party's Patrick Wynne have also declared their candidacies.