Matthew McConaughey makes plea for Independent candidates in upcoming midterms
The ‘Interstellar’ star took to social media to argue that Americans should look beyond Democrats and Republicans
Matthew McConaughey has urged voters to look towards Independent candidates in November’s upcoming midterm elections.
The Interstellar actor, 56, has previously teased that he may consider a run for political office. In the recent Apple TV+ series Brothers, he plays a fictionalized version of himself running for governor of Texas.
In real life, McConaughey is not a political candidate but he is urging Americans to look beyond the Democratic and Republican parties.
In a six-minute video posted to X, McConaughey says: “So, they’ve been telling us for years that an independent vote is a wasted vote. Well, a great question for our times is: How’s that unwasted vote been working out for you?”
He goes on to say that his message is “not about me right now,” but about the “upcoming ballot.” He adds: “I’m not here today to endorse a candidate or a party. I’m here endorsing two things: fairness and reality.”
The actor continues: “I believe in a fair fight, and a fair fight is not just two fighters throwing the same punches at each other for 50 years. A fair fight is when the fighters who ought to be represented in the fight are actually in the fight. That’s fair.
“Here’s a fact: The number one political identity in America today is not Republican. It is not Democrat. It is Independent. There are more of us than either party, so Independents belong in the fight. Not as a protest, not as a spoiler, but as a real and potential winner.”
While the True Detective star did not name any specific candidates that he is backing in the midterms, he did encourage voters across the United States to learn more about the candidates running in their areas.
“Understand if the goal is to change how both parties behave, if the goal is to bring them back to the middle, where most American values live, then electing Independents is a mechanism to make that happen,” said McConaughey.
“I’m not telling you who to vote for. I’m telling you to look at your ballot and study up. See if they represent you, what you believe in,” he added. “Check if they can be that voice of reason, and if they can, treat them like a potential winner because they can be.”
Back in 2024, McConaughey confirmed at the National Governors Association 2024 summer meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah that he had “thought about running for office, getting into this category.”
