Source: Global Times
Since the middle of this month, Matthew McConaughey, a well-known Hollywood actor from Texas, has expressed his intention to run for governor of Texas, which has aroused heated discussion in american public opinion.
McConaughey's "candidacy for governor" rumors have been captured by a number of US media as early as the 12th of this month: when he revealed in a show that he "really considered" running for the governorship. On the 19th of this month, McConaughey gave a "further explanation" of his intention to run, saying that he "really thought about it" and that "it was an honor to consider the possibility of [candidacy]. At the same time, he stressed that he had "no further action" on the election campaign for the time being.
McConaughey, 51, a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, became a hit in 1993 with the comedy "Young And Crazy", and then participated in the filming of many Hollywood classics, such as the science fiction film "Interstellar", the thriller "Texas Chainsaw Killer", and won the 2014 Academy Awards and golden globe awards for best actor for "Dallas Buyers Club", and he is currently an actor, producer and professor at his alma mater. On the political front, McConaughey has never voted on a statewide political election since 2012, nor has he ever donated to any political body. He calls himself a "strong centrist" — meaning there's no way to know whether he represents the Democratic Party or the Republican Party.
Since the middle of this month, a number of mainstream MEDIA outlets in the United States have published editorials to "dissuade McConaughey": CNN has put him "outside of Texas politics", bluntly saying that McConaughey is a "politician that Texas does not need", he is only very talented in his own industry, but his political and public experience is almost a blank piece of paper; the Washington Post also said that McConaughey has its own place in Texas, but "not as governor". However, USA Today said that McConaughey's intention to enter politics has recently aroused applause among the fan base - in addition to encouraging him to run for governor, many fans have called on him to storm the Senate and even the US presidential seat. There is no shortage of precedents for show business people to turn politicians in the United States, such as former Florida Governor Schwarzenegger was a well-known movie star, former Minnesota Governor Ventura did a talk show host, and even former US President Trump was a businessman, entertainer and "political amateur" before entering politics.
The Washington Post believes that McConaughey's "cross-border" intentions actually show that Texas' original political team is really too bad - during the two disasters of the new crown epidemic and the "Texas winter", some senior politicians have become "hand-throwing treasurers". The media lamented that it is no wonder that the state's unpolitical artists feel that "I can go on my own."