AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott and Matthew McConaughey, his potential challenger in the 2022 gubernatorial election, are neck and neck in the eyes of Texas voters, according to a new poll.
The survey from the University of Texas at Tyler and The Dallas Morning News found 39% of registered voters would vote for Abbott and 38% McConaughey if he were to officially enter the race for governor.
This comes after 45% of respondents said they favored McConaughey over Abbott in an April survey. Abbott rose six percentage points from April to June, putting him at a 1% lead well within the 3% margin of error.
McConaughey said he is seriously considering running for Texas governor, but he has not officially entered the race or said if he would run as a Democrat, Republican or something else.
But 56% of respondents who said they would vote for McConaughey over Abbott consider themselves a Democrat. Thirty-nine percent were Independent, and only 22% were Republicans.
Sixty-nine percent of respondents who said they would vote for Abbott over McConaughey consider themselves a Republican.
The question asked of voters was: “Matthew McConaughey has been talked about as a potential candidate for Governor of Texas. If he ran, would you be likely to support him more than Governor Abbott?”
The survey also asked registered voters their opinions on former Republican State Sen. Don Huffines and former Democratic Congressman Beto O’Rourke.
Huffines announced he would join the Republican primary for governor in May. Forty-six percent of respondents said they would vote for Abbott over Huffines.
O’Rourke has not announced an official run for governor, like McConaughey. Forty-five percent of voters said they would support Abbott, and 33% said they would support O’Rourke. Sixty-six percent of O’Rourke supporters were Democrats, and 78% of Abbott supporters were Republicans.
The survey is the third poll the group has conducted during the 2021 legislative session. It surveyed 1,090 registered voters across Texas From June 22-29.
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