Actor McConaughey leads Texas GOP Governor Abbott in possible 2022 matchup, poll

Actor and celebrity Matthew McConaughey is now leading Republican Gov. Greg Abbot in a voter survey for Texas governor.

Forty-five percent of respondent said they would vote for McConaughey over Abbott if he ran for Texas governor in the 2020 election.

The survey of 1,126 registered voters was conducted by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas, Tyler from April 6 to 13.

Thirty-three percent of respondents said they would stick with Abbott, and 22 percent chose neither, saying they would prefer someone else to run.

"I’m looking into now again" McConaughey said on a podcast last month in which he considered running, according to The New York Times. "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?"

McConaughey has not said whether he would run as a Democrat, Republican or third party candidate.

Though the poll showed Abbott trailing, the incumbent governor has a voter-approval rating of plus-50%..

McConaughey polled better among Democrats than he did among Republicans, with 66 percent of Democrats open to the idea of voting for McConaughey and only 30 percent of Republicans saying they would take the actor over the incumbent governor, according to the Morning News.