Hillary Clinton Calls McConaughey's Video Backing Independent Candidates 'Really Unfortunate'

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has sharply criticised a video by actor Matthew McConaughey in which he urged voters to consider independent candidates. Speaking in a podcast interview on Wednesday, Clinton said delivering such a message just two weeks before the midterm elections was 'really unfortunate'.

In the video posted on social media on Sunday, McConaughey challenged the long-held notion that voting for an independent candidate is a wasted vote. He argued that just a handful of independent lawmakers could dramatically shift the balance of power in Washington.

'They've been telling us for years that an independent vote is a wasted vote,' McConaughey said in the video. 'Well, a great question for our times is, has that unwasted vote been working out for you?'

Journalist Kara Swisher shared the video with Clinton on their new podcast 'High Stakes', remarking that she did not think McConaughey had articulated the appeal of independent candidates well enough for viewers.

Clinton went further, saying the video could complicate Democratic efforts to push back against President Donald Trump in the midterms.

'I think it's really unfortunate that somebody who's such a great actor with such a reach would be, two weeks before a midterm that is aimed at stopping Trump's corruption, impunity and extreme damage to the country, suggesting that any independent candidate is really a better choice,' she said.

'Right now, we have a broad range of Democrats running, and Democrats are representing, I think, every kind of American in these elections,' Clinton 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.'

Fox News Digital reached out to McConaughey's representative for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Ahead of the midterms, Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have recently stepped up campaigning for Democratic candidates. Bill Clinton has been making public appearances on behalf of candidates, while Hillary has been making the rounds in the podcast sphere with Swisher.

However, some Democratic strategists have expressed doubts about this latest push.

'Hillary and Bill are still relevant to some voters. However, they will mostly be useful in speaking to the Democratic base and those who are highly engaged in politics,' Democratic strategist Mally Smith told Fox News Digital last week.

Smith added that it is a hard media environment to break through, and that even current elected officials — let alone former office holders — will struggle to get people's attention.