Matthew McConaughey is making a case for Americans to break up the two-party system.
In a six-minute video posted to Instagram, McConaughey, 56, said electing independent candidates in the 2026 midterm elections and beyond could serve as a "permanent check" to keep Republicans and Democrats honest.
"And I am not here today to endorse a candidate, or a party," McConaughey said, adding that he was, however, endorsing two things: fairness and reality. "See, 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."
The Oscar-winning actor urged voters to take independents more seriously,
as they form part of the "No. 1 political identity in America today."
McConaughey also argued that independent candidates have the potential to wield significant power in a closely divided Congress, forcing both parties to "compete for the middle" rather than push legislation toward their respective extremes.
"The truth of it is, we don't know how many independents would vote for a true independent, organized, funded, owned by neither side, because no one has ever given us one," he said.
McConaughey referenced the Independent Leadership Council, launched by former Sen. Joe Manchin, and his daughter, to support independent congressional candidates. The "Interstellar" actor clarified he wasn't endorsing the organization, but rather the idea of giving voters another option.
"The reality is that midterms are coming, and this November, in more places than ever, you do have more than two choices," he said. "And I'm not telling you who to vote for. I'm telling you to look at your ballots, study up, see if they represent you, what you believe in."
While McConaughey's message was well received by some, others were critical of the timing, pointing out in the comment section that the stakes were too high to be "wasted" in the middle.
Matthew McConaughey hasn't ruled out running for office
A career in politics might still be in McConaughey's future. McConaughey, who has called himself "aggressively centrist" told People magazine last August that running for public office may have to wait until his three children are all grown up.
McConaughey shares Levi, 18, Vida, 16, and Livingston, 13, with his wife Camila Alves McConaughey, who he’s been married to since 2012.
"For now, I'm very secure with — the original thing I knew I always wanted to be was a dad," McConaughey said, adding that he was still unsure by the prospect of a pivot but had started looking into it in 2019, and that it was a topic he continues to study.
"[Politics] is not necessarily my language, but that would happen if and when it was something that I couldn't not do," he said. "It would happen when I would look up and see that I'm pulled into it in a way that, 'Oh, I have to.'"
The "Brothers" star teased a potential campaign for the governor's seat in Texas back in 2021, but ultimately decided against getting in the race in the 2022 election cycle.
Contributing: Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Matthew McConaughney calls on voters to ditch two-party system
