New Hampshire voters got an unexpected boost on Election Day when four-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski showed up to encourage people to cast their ballots.
Videos shared online showed Gronkowski posing for photos with fans and waving an American flag at passing cars. Former boxer Floyd Mayweather, ex-Red Sox All-Star Kevin Youkilis and former Patriots receiver Danny Amendola were also seen near polling places.
Gronkowski spent time with voters near a Turning Point USA campaign tent in Bedford. The group’s chief operating officer, Tyler Bowyer, posted videos of him on social media. Mayweather was seen near a TPUSA tent in Hudson, too.
Although some reports speculated that the athletes were appearing on Turning Point’s behalf, a person familiar with the group’s Election Day activities said TPUSA was not involved in arranging Gronkowski’s appearance.
New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte posted a photo Tuesday of herself with Gronkowski and his girlfriend, Camille Kostek, in Bedford.
“The air is brisk and the people are just so wonderful,” Gronkowski said in an interview with a local television station. He said he was taking pictures with people who had come out to vote.
“It doesn’t matter what side you’re voting for; it just matters about you coming out and voting,” he added.
Gronkowski has generally kept his political views to himself. He has said he enjoyed visiting the White House more under President Donald Trump than under former President Barack Obama, though he attributed that preference to having greater freedom to move around during Trump’s visit. Obama, he recalled, had also told him to keep his shirt on at a White House event.
In 2024, Gronkowski voiced support for Elon Musk’s suggestion to simplify the tax code.
