OSCAR WINNER MATTHEW McConaughey has said he is seriously considering a run for governor in his home state of Texas. 

The 51-year-old, who has previously flirted with a political bid, told Crime Stoppers of Houston’s The Balanced Voice podcast that the idea was a “true consideration”.

If McConaughey runs he would face the incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott in November 2022. 

“I’m looking into now again, what is my leadership role?” McConaughey said when asked about passing life lessons on to the next generation. 

“Because I do think I have some things to teach and share, and what is my role? What’s my category in my next chapter of life that I’m going into?”

The actor’s political affiliation has not been abundantly clear, but he has previously indicated a centre-right political leaning. 

The Lone Star state recently became the fifth to rescind its mask mandate and capacity restrictions on restaurants and other businesses, despite experts warning the relaxation of coronavirus curbs will exacerbate the spread of new variants.

“It is now time to open Texas 100%,” said Governor Abbott when he announced his plans to ease restrictions last week, despite Texas being one of the hardest-hit US states in the pandemic so far. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website currently recommends that “people wear masks in public settings, at events and gatherings, and anywhere they will be around other people.” 

So far, some 4.1 million Texans – 14.2% of the population – have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. That figure is about two percentage points below the US national average, owing partly to the severe disruptions of the recent historic cold wave in the state.

- Additional reporting from AFP