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Matthew McConaughey decides not to run for governor of Texas

Actor Matthew McConaughey said Sunday that he will not be running for governor of Texas.

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The 52-year-old Oscar winner announced on his Twitter and Instagram accounts that an elected office was a “path that I’m choosing not to take at this moment.”

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“I’ve been considering a run for the governor of Texas. I’ve been listening, I’ve been learning, and I’ve been measuring and learning,” McConaughey said in his video. “Been studying Texas politics and American politics.

“What have I learned? A lot. That we have some problems we need to fix,” McConaughey added. “That our politics needs new purpose. That we have divides that need healing.”

The actor said he would “continue to work and invest the bounty I have by supporting entrepreneurs, businesses and foundations that I’ve believe are leaders, establishments that I believe are creating pathways for people to succeed in life, organizations that have a mission to serve and build trust while also generating prosperity. That’s the American dream.”

In a Dallas Morning News poll this week, McConaughey was projected to defeat Republican incumbent Greg Abbott by eight points and easily beat Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke by a 2-to-1 margin. But McConaughey, who was facing a state-mandated deadline of Dec. 13 to enter the race, chose to remain on the sidelines, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The poll, which was conducted Nov. 9-16, surveyed 1,106 adults who are registered voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points, according to the Morning News.

“As a simple kid born in the little town of Uvalde, Texas, it never occurred to me that I would one day be considered for political leadership. It’s a humbling and inspiring path to ponder,” McConaughey said in his video. “It is also a path that I’m choosing not to take at this moment.”