Matthew McConaughey’s desperate political plea issued days before critical midterm elections nationwide has caught the attention of Hillary Clinton.
Texas native McConaughey, 56, shared a video on social media over the weekend urging voters to look beyond the Democratic and Republican parties and to consider supporting third-party candidates.
After being shown McConaughey’s video by journalist Kara Swisher on their joint new podcast, High Stakes, Clinton made her disapproval clear.
“I think it’s really unfortunate that somebody who’s such a great actor with such a reach would suggest — two weeks before a midterm that is aimed at stopping Trump’s corruption, impunity and extreme damage to the country — that any independent candidate is really a better choice,” Clinton said.
“Right now, we have a broad range of Democrats running, and Democrats are representing, I think, every kind of American in these elections,” she continued.
“And we know, I mean, it’s just a fact. We know that if we don’t vote for Democrats to defeat Republicans, then Trump will have two more unchecked years to do whatever he wants to our country.”
Voting records shared by The Texas Tribune in 2021 indicated that while McConaughey has been registered in Travis County, Texas since 2012, he hadn’t voted in a party primary since that same year. He did vote in the 2018 and 2020 elections, though it’s unclear whether he has voted since.
The Independent has reached out to a representative for McConaughey for comment.
Oscar winner McConaughey said in his video: “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 went on to say that his message is “not about me right now,” but about the “upcoming ballot.” He added: “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.”
Aside from Clinton, McConaughey’s video caught flack from hundreds of others who commented on X.
“To be independent in this political climate is to be a coward. There is only one party protecting our democratic institutions at this point and that’s the far from perfect democrats. To vote republican is to vote against American values,” one person wrote while another said, “I thought the stupid thing was just an act ... You are dangerously ignorant.”
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