Matthew McConaughey won’t run for Texas governor in 2022

Actor Matthew McConaughey isn’t running for Texas governor after months of publicly flirting with the idea of becoming the latest celebrity candidate

Matthew McConaughey won’t run for Texas governor in 2022The Associated PressAUSTIN, Texas

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Actor Matthew McConaughey isn’t running for Texas governor after months of publicly flirting with the idea of becoming the latest celebrity candidate.

The Academy Award winner said in a video posted Sunday night that political leadership was not a route he was choosing to take “at this moment.” McConaughey, 52, said he would instead focus on supporting businesses and foundations that create pathways for others to succeed.

The Texas governor’s race is already shaping up to be one of the nation’s highest-profile contests in 2022. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking a third term and Democrat Beto O’Rourke, coming off failed bids for the U.S. Senate and president, announced month that he was getting in the race.

The “Dazed and Confused” and “Dallas Buyers Club” star had never said what party — if any — he would run under while acknowledging that he was mulling a run for governor in his home state. McConaughey had also shied away from going into policy specifics and positions on contentious issues in Texas.

“Politicians? The good ones can help us to get to where we need to go, yeah,” McConaughey said in the video posted to Twitter. “But let’s be clear, they can’t do anything for us unless we choose to do for ourselves.”

In California, former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner ran for governor this year in a failed GOP-led recall effort against Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom but gained little momentum.