A new television ad cycles through images of kids doing kid things — finger painting, messily eating spaghetti — before a young girl delivers a final request: “Please vote for Governor Hochul.”
The ad touts a series of Hochul’s family-forward policies as she seeks to win reelection in November against Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican. But state disclosure records show it’s funded by Uber, a company whose interests have little to do with free school lunches and child tax care credits.
The ride-hailing giant has become one of the Democratic governor’s most-prominent and biggest-spending supporters.
Uber is the sole funder of Fair and Affordable New York, the super PAC that dropped $1 million on the new ad late last week, according to state Board of Elections records. The company put $3 million into the PAC late last month, according to state Board of Elections records.
All told, Uber has dropped more than $13 million on mailers and advertisements backing the governor and her policies since January.
The governor has been good to Uber this year. At her State of the State address, Hochul proposed a slate of Uber-supported auto-insurance reforms, which the company lobbied for and stood to save the company millions of dollars on insurance premiums and legal payouts. Among them were new restrictions on payments in cases where the person was determined to be mostly responsible for a wreck, a change that Hochul argued would help drive down insurance rates — including for Uber.
Hochul successfully pushed through the reforms as part of the state budget, despite criticism from the state’s trial lawyers who said they would curtail victims’ rights. Uber spent millions touting the policies and Hochul’s win with a series of advertisements and mailers direct to homes, funneling the money through an entity known as Citizens for Affordable Rates.
The alliance has become an attack line from Blakeman, who accused Hochul of being “bought and paid for by Uber’s political dollars” back in March.
The latest ad from Fair and Affordable New York is notable because it isn’t focused on the insurance policies the ride-hailing company has pushed in Albany and beyond.
Instead, the ad focuses on Hochul’s policies for young families, which the governor herself has made a centerpiece of her campaign.
“Whether they’re a future artist, future chef, future engineer or future architect, Governor Kathy Hochul’s been investing in their future,” a narrator says as young children appear on the screen.
A viewer wouldn’t know Uber is involved without delving into Board of Elections records on PAC spending.
“Uber is proud to support Governor Hochul and her continued leadership on issues that matter to New Yorkers,” Uber spokesperson Josh Gold said in a statement.
Hochul’s campaign, which cannot legally coordinate with a super PAC, did not return a request for comment.
Blakeman’s campaign, meanwhile, has benefited from a super PAC known as Strong & Safe New York, which is funded in part by entities connected to James Dolan, owner of the New York Knicks and Rangers. The PAC has spent $1 million on videos, polling and other efforts supporting Blakeman as he tries to topple Hochul, including ads faulting the governor for rising utility costs and an outflow of New Yorkers to Florida and other states.
A Blakeman campaign spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Hochul’s campaign, meanwhile, has plenty of money of its own, blanketing the airwaves in recent weeks with ads highlighting Blakeman’s support of Republican President Donald Trump.
As of July, the governor’s campaign had about $21 million on hand. Blakeman’s campaign had about $5 million.
