Uber money and the car-insurance overhaul
Uber is the sole major funder of Citizens for Affordable Rates, an independent expenditure committee that has spent roughly $12M on advertising backing Governor Hochul's plan to overhaul New York's no-fault car-insurance system — a plan that would reduce the company's exposure. State BOE records also show Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has given Hochul's campaigns $48,000 since 2022, including $38,000 in the current cycle. The insurance fight became one of the fiercest of the 2026 budget season, with Uber and insurers on one side and the New York State Trial Lawyers Association on the other. Blakeman has called the arrangement a pay-to-play scheme; Hochul's campaign and Uber both dispute that framing.
The case on each side
Hochul's campaign says she is trying to lower car-insurance costs for New Yorkers and that Uber's independent spending is legal and unconnected to policy. Uber says trial-lawyer interests profit from the current system through fraud and excessive litigation, and that reform lowers premiums. Independent expenditures are legally barred from coordinating with the campaign, and CAR's Uber funding is fully disclosed in BOE filings.
Blakeman says Hochul is "bought and paid for by Uber's political dollars," pointing to the roughly $12M Uber-funded IE campaign, the CEO's direct contributions, and Hochul's move to lower insurance minimums. Streetsblog and NY Focus reported the push mirrors Uber's national playbook and arrived alongside the company's election spending. The Trial Lawyers Association argues the changes shift costs onto injured drivers.