Hollywood megastar Matthew McConaughey has more support to be the next governor of Texas than the current Republican incumbent, a poll has revealed.

McConaughey has previously teased a run for governorship of his home state, following in the footsteps of fellow actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was elected as the Republican governor of California in 2003.

However, a poll conducted by the Dallas Morning News shows the Magic Mike actor with a commanding lead over Greg Abbot – the man currently in charge of the state.

Some 45% of registered voters in Texas say they would vote for the actor, no doubt buoyed by name recognition and hus Hollywood career, with only 33% saying they would vote for Mr Abbott.

Breaking down the polling by party, among Republican voters, only 30% said they would tick the box for the actor, with 56% opting to vote for Mr Abbott instead.

Meanwhile, two-thirds of Democrats said they would vote McConaughey over Mr Abbott.

The Dallas Buyers Club star has previously described himself as a centrist candidate, meaning he would still have some work to do to win over voters from both sides of the political divide.

Only 20% of Republicans in the deeply-red state say they would want a more moderate governor, while almost 40% wanted someone more conservative to win.

Among Democrats, only 25% say they want a moderate candidate like McConaughey, with 51% opting instead for a more progressive figure, such as Bernie Sanders.

Political scientist Mark Owens, who ran the poll for the Texas newspaper, said: “Matthew McConaughey gets a huge boost from tremendous name recognition and recognition for what he does to help Texans and add to the celebration of the state’s successes.

“Most of our survey respondents know his story, but many are waiting to see how he opens his next chapter.”

Sky News has reached out to McConaughey’s representatives for a response to the poll numbers.

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