Bruce Springsteen and Nicki Minaj Face Off in Crucial Midterm Race - Newsweek

Bruce Springsteen and Nicki Minaj have thrown their support behind opposite sides of Michigan’s closely watched Senate race as voters head to the polls on Election Day.

The celebrity interventions come as Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers compete for an open seat that could help determine control of the U.S. Senate.

Michigan voters deciding between El-Sayed and Rogers are seeing two major music stars lending their profiles to competing political camps in the campaign’s closing stretch.

El-Sayed and Rogers are fighting for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters. The contest carries national significance because Democrats need a net gain of four seats to regain control of the Senate.

Newsweek reached out to Springsteen and Minaj's representatives, as well as El-Sayed and Rogers via email for comment on Tuesday.

Michigan remains one of America’s most competitive political battlegrounds, with the Senate race among several contests capable of affecting the balance of power in Washington.

Celebrity endorsements do not decide elections, but the competing interventions from two globally recognizable musicians highlight how much national attention has descended on the state.

Springsteen made his allegiance clear in an Instagram post supporting El-Sayed, describing the physician and former public health official as “a fighter for our American Constitution” and “a fighter for our American Democracy.”

He also praised El-Sayed as “a fighter against the corrupt, lawless, and anti-American leadership currently in the White House,” before adding: “That’s why I’m in his corner 100%.”

Springsteen’s support puts another prominent cultural figure behind El-Sayed in the campaign's final stage. Former President Barack Obama also campaigned with the Democrat in Detroit on October 24.

El-Sayed, a former Detroit public health official, secured the Democratic nomination in August following a closely fought primary. The results showed him taking 48.5 percent of the vote, compared with 47.5 percent for Representative Haley Stevens.

On the other side, Minaj used an appearance alongside President Donald Trump at a Michigan campaign rally on October 25 to reinforce her support for the president and encourage the crowd to back Rogers.

The rapper led chants for the Republican Senate candidate and gubernatorial candidate John James. Minaj also described the elections as a “major turning point for our country.”

Minaj also reaffirmed her support for Trump during the address, telling him: “I will continue to support you forever and ever. If you run again, I will support you again.”

Rogers, a former Michigan congressman, ran unopposed for the Republican Senate nomination this year. He previously sought Michigan’s other Senate seat in 2024 and narrowly lost to Democrat Elissa Slotkin.

Both parties have reason to watch the state closely.

El-Sayed and Rogers are competing to replace Peters, who is retiring after two terms. Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to retake the chamber, while Republicans see Michigan as an opportunity to flip a seat currently held by a Democrat.

The race has consequently drawn some of the biggest names in national politics. Trump has campaigned with Rogers, while Vice President J.D. Vance and Obama have also visited Michigan during the closing days of the election campaign on behalf of their respective sides.

Voters are simultaneously choosing a new governor, with Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson facing Republican Representative John James. Governor Gretchen Whitmer cannot seek another term because of term limits.

That broader battleground gives the Springsteen-Minaj divide its significance. Their interventions are different pieces of a much larger effort by both parties to mobilize Michigan voters in a state with consequences far beyond its borders.

Michigan voters cast their ballots on Tuesday, November 3. In addition to the Senate and governor’s races, voters are deciding congressional and state legislative contests across the state.

The Springsteen and Minaj endorsements provide a celebrity subplot to the closing hours. The result that matters, however, will come from voters deciding whether El-Sayed or Rogers represents Michigan in Washington.

Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Megan Cartwright and Paul Donnelley.