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By Megan Cartwright
Associate News Editor
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Celebrities including Roseanne Barr, Conan O'Brien, Cardi B, Bruce Springsteen and Paula Abdul used social media to make final appeals as Americans vote in the November 3 midterm elections.
Some stars focused on participation without backing candidates, while others made explicit political endorsements in closely watched races.
Springsteen backed Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, while former Millionaire Matchmaker host Patti Stanger urged voters there to support Mike Rogers.
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Celebrity involvement has become part of the final stretch of major U.S. elections, giving campaigns and political causes access to audiences that might not ordinarily engage with campaign messaging.
This year's last-minute posts range from broad reminders to vote to direct appeals for particular candidates, showing the different ways public figures are choosing to enter the political conversation.
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'Make the change you want to see'
Several stars avoided telling followers which candidates to support and instead focused on voting itself.
Cardi B acknowledged the flood of political discussion online before urging people to act on it at the ballot box.
"I know social media is all the talk, debates, and chatter…but make sure you get out and vote tomorrow so you can make the change you want to see," the rapper wrote in a post shared ahead of Election Day.
O'Brien took a practical approach, announcing that he had voted and directing followers toward information for finding polling places or drop boxes.
Abdul similarly kept her message nonpartisan, writing: "Just a little reminder that YOUR voice matters! Please get out there and VOTE!"
Director Ron Howard encouraged followers to look beyond political presentation and "analyze thoughtfully," while keeping his central request simple: vote.
Actor Billy Baldwin framed his Election Day message around democratic principles, calling on followers to "stand up for the constitution, liberty, rule of law, truth, accountability, decency…democracy."
'I Vote For Principles'
Spencer Pratt took a different route with a lengthy Election Day message explaining why he would not endorse a candidate or instruct followers how to cast their ballots.
"I'm never gonna be that pompous, condescending, know-it-all who's gonna lecture you on who to vote for today," Pratt wrote. "I don't even like voting for people. I vote for policy. I vote for principles."
The reality television personality compared politicians to "rental cars," arguing voters should concentrate on their goals and values rather than becoming personally attached to candidates.
Pratt also stopped short of insisting that people participate. Instead, he asked followers to appreciate their ability to vote and said he respected supporters too much to instruct them how they should do so.
"Just one moralizing lecture point today: have gratitude," he wrote.
Bruce Springsteen Backs Abdul El-Sayed
Other celebrities were much more direct.
Springsteen threw his support behind Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, describing the physician as "a fighter for our American Constitution" and "our American Democracy."
"That's why I'm in his corner 100%," Springsteen wrote in his endorsement.
The musician returned to Instagram on Election Day with another appeal, telling people who had not already cast ballots to vote and encouraging followers to support democracy by taking the Oath to the Constitution. Rosie O'Donnell interacted with the post, commenting: "Come on America" alongside heart emojis.
Stanger, meanwhile, backed Mike Rogers in the Michigan contest. Her post referenced a claim circulating online about El-Sayed's record and concluded: "Yeah vote @MikeRogersForMI only choice!" The allegation she reposted should not be treated as established fact without independent verification.
Newsweek contacted El-Sayed's team via email for comment on Tuesday.
The competing celebrity endorsements came as El-Sayed, a Democrat, and Rogers, a Republican, fight for an open Michigan Senate seat after Democratic incumbent Gary Peters chose not to seek reelection. Republicans entered Election Day with a 53-45 Senate majority, making the contest important to control of the chamber, per Ballotpedia.
Forecasts pointed to a competitive race but differed over its direction: the Cook Political Report rated it a toss-up, while Decision Desk HQ, Inside Elections and Sabato’s Crystal Ball gave Democrats varying degrees of an advantage. Michigan also remained closely divided after President Donald Trump carried it 49.7 percent to 48.3 percent in 2024.
John Rich and Roseanne Barr Make Conservative Appeals
Country singer John Rich, of the duo Big & Rich, urged his followers to cast ballots by invoking Americans who died in military service.
"Do your duty, stand in the line, and VOTE!" he wrote, encouraging followers to bring family members, friends and neighbors with them.
Later on Election Day, Rich reacted to a Polymarket post claiming voting machines were malfunctioning in Westchester County, New York, writing: "How convenient." His response amplified the claim but did not itself provide evidence establishing what had happened.
Newsweek contacted Westchester County's communications office via email for comment on Tuesday.
Barr made one of the more explicitly partisan appeals, asking followers to vote for Ken Paxton while criticizing Democrats in a post published ahead of Election Day.
Texas Republican Paxton is challenging Democrat James Talarico for a Senate seat after defeating incumbent John Cornyn in the Republican runoff. All major forecasters listed by Ballotpedia rated the general election a toss-up, raising the prospect of an unusually competitive contest in a state that has not elected a Democratic senator since 1988.
Republicans are defending considerably more ground nationally: 22 Republican-held seats and 13 Democratic-held seats are being contested, alongside two special elections. That broader map makes the outcomes in both Michigan and Texas relevant to the partisan balance of the next Senate.
Do Celebrity Endorsements Affect Voters?
Celebrities putting their names behind political candidates is hardly new. Research tracing the practice in American presidential politics points as far back as the 1920 election, when movie stars including Al Jolson and Mary Pickford supported Warren Harding. Decades later, John F. Kennedy received support from "Rat Pack" figures, while Frank Sinatra was among the celebrities who backed Ronald Reagan.
Whether those endorsements actually change votes is more complicated.
One of the best-known studies examined Oprah Winfrey's endorsement of Barack Obama during the 2008 Democratic presidential primary. Researchers Craig Garthwaite and Timothy Moore found evidence that the endorsement increased support for Obama, political contributions and overall voter turnout.
Other research suggests the effect is not universal. A 2026 comparative study of celebrity endorsements during the 2024 U.S. presidential election concluded that they helped increase candidate visibility and social media engagement, but their direct effect on election results was limited. In the U.S., the researchers found endorsements tended to reinforce existing partisan divisions rather than persuade undecided voters.
That distinction is important for this year's last-minute messages. A famous supporter can give a candidate another route into voters' social-media feeds, but an endorsement does not necessarily mean followers will cast their ballots the same way.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Robert Greenall and Ben Kelly
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