Republicans are fans of Uber, the fast-growing car service that’s upending the taxi industry.
The National Republican Committee on Wednesday sent out emails asking people to sign a petition in support of Uber. The company has faced growing opposition in some parts of the country from taxi drivers and local politicians who want to protect the status quo.
It’s no secret why Republicans want to associate themselves with Uber’s fight. For one thing, the company represents an example of innovation and entrepreneurship that conservatives have long touted as a key to economic prosperity. That’s a message they hope can resonate in a period of abnormally slow U.S. growth.
Even more critical, young people are the biggest supporters of Uber. Republicans need to attract more young people to win state and national elections, a lesson reinforced by Barack Obama’s political success. He was propelled into office in 2008 and kept there in 2012 in large part because of the youth vote.
For the most part, the resistance faced by Uber has come from Democratic lawmakers in big cities such as Boston, Chicago or New York where the party is dominant – a fact Republicans are only too happy to point out.
“Across the country, taxi unions and liberal government bureaucrats are setting up roadblocks, issuing strangling regulations and implementing unnecessary red tape to block Uber from doing business in their cities,” the Republican petition asserts.
Earlier this year, Republican Marco Rubio took the lead in his party by launching a public defense of Uber. The U.S. senator from Florida is a likely contender for the White House in 2016.
While many local politicians are reluctant to bash Uber for fear of a public backlash, they still aren’t ready to let companies like Uber and Lyft kill off the century-old taxi industry. Taxi services pay large sums for licensing and other government fees and the growing success of “ride-sharing companies” could curtail tax revenue.
Other critics have also raised concerns about safety after several highly publicized episodes in which Uber drivers have been accused of robbing or even raping their passengers.