Matthew McConaughey Teases Texas Governor Run in Video: 'Let's Rock'

Matthew McConaughey appeared to continue teasing a possible bid to become the governor of Texas on Sunday, when he shared a rousing Independence Day speech to the nation via Twitter.

The Oscar-winning actor, 51—who in recent months has discussed the idea of making a run for public office—urged Americans to embrace "collective responsibility," as he insisted "we're all in this together."

"Happy birthday, America," said the Texas native, as he sat before a large U.S. flag. "Yes, indeed, as we celebrate our independence today, as we celebrate our birth as a nation—the day that kickstarted a revolution to gain our sovereignty—let's admit that this last year's trip around the sun was also another head-scratcher.

"But let's also remember that we are babies. As a country, we are basically going through puberty in comparison to other countries' timeline. And we're gonna go through growing pains—we are going through growing pains.

"This is not an excuse, this is just a reality. And this is good, because we gotta keep learning, we gotta keep maturing, we gotta keep striving, we gotta keep climbing, we gotta keep building. And we gotta make sure we maintain hope along the way as we continue to evolve.

"Why? because it's who we are. Why? Because the alternative sucks. I believe that America and you and I, I believe we're an aspiration. We're constantly in motion, we're on the way, trying to get wiser, trying to get braver, trying to dream more, trying to do more, trying to be more fair, take the right kind of responsibilities to gain the right kind of freedoms.

"And we've got to keep realizing that we're a place where our individual pursuits and desires need to be appreciative and supportive of our collective responsibilities as Americans, hence the United States of America."

"Sure, we're each unique," he continued. "We're each independent. We each have innate abilities that others don't have, as people and as states. But at the same time, we are all in this together. And if you don't purchase that, move on. Go somewhere else."

Adding that Americans should "take a little bit of inventory on where we've come from, where we are, and how and where we wanna go from here" amid Fourth of July celebrations, he concluded: "Let's rock, America. Happy birthday. Just keep living. I'll see you there."

In recent months, talk of McConaughey running for governor of Texas has gathered steam, with the actor remaining popular among voters ahead of the 2022 election.

On Sunday, The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler released a new poll that shows incumbent Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, favored by 39% of Texans, while McConaughey has 38% support. Previous polls showed McConaughey had a double-digit lead over Abbott.

While McConaughey has yet to commit to running for office, or even state which party he would represent if doing so, he has addressed questions about embarking on a possible political career in recent months.

During an interview on OZY's The Carlos Watson Show, which was released in May, the titular host asked McConaughey if the prospect of embarking on a career in politics would give him a "buzz" or prove to be "challenging."

"Challenging it definitely would be, but I don't know if that's the buzz," McConaughey said. "I'm not interested in going and putting a bunch of Band-Aids on that are gonna be ripped off as soon as I'm out. I'm interested in building something that can last."

The screen star was then asked if he had the "constitution" for navigating the difficult political discussions that would come with the job.

Responding, he said: "I trust my core beliefs enough and my values enough to feel comfortable listening to an opposing [belief]."

During an interview with the Longview News-Journal in March, McConaughey also addressed the fact that this hasn't politically aligned himself with Democrats or Republicans.

"I've said this analogy a few times before, but someone told me: 'There ain't nothing in the middle but dead armadillos and yellow lines,'" McConaughey said. "I said, 'Well, I'm walking right down the yellow lines, right in the middle of the highway right now. And the armadillos are free having a great time because right now, both sides are so far to the right or the left, there aren't even tires on the pavement.'

"So I think, going in, to think Democrat or Republican or one or the other, is small thinking now and even becoming unconstitutional because you're supposed to serve the American people or the people of your state."