US presidential hopefuls have spent $87,631 on Uber and Lyft rides this year. Here's which campaigns are spending the most.
- Uber and Lyft are raking in big money from 2020 presidential candidates as they ramp up campaigns across the country.
- In total, 18 Democratic hopefuls spent more than $87,000 on rides and meals in the first half of 2019, according to regulatory filings.
- Sen. Kamala Harris of California easily spent the most on the apps, at $14,708, while others, like the former Texas state Rep. Beto O'Rourke and billionaire Tim Steyer, are not disclosing any expenses to the companies.
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Campaign workers for the 2020 US presidential hopefuls are expensing plenty of Uber and Lyft rides as their bosses canvass the company in hopes of securing the Democratic nomination for commander-in-chief.
In total, the leading 20 candidates have spent $87,631 on the two main ride-hailing services this year, according to spending data from the Federal Election Commission analyzed by Business Insider.
California Sen. Kamala Harris's campaign handily outspent the rest of the pack, expensing 81 Uber and 73 Lyft rides in the first six months of 2019, totaling $8,835 and $5,873, respectively.
Campaigns are averaging about $4,800 each on the apps, with the front-runners all spending near $10,000 for rides in the filing period.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who was been outspoken in her support of a driver strike in March, had the third-most Uber and Lyft expenses, the data shows, with Andrew Yang only slightly ahead.
Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke and billionaire activist Tim Steyer notably had no expenses reported for Uber or Lyft rides. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, meanwhile, spent just $921 on Lyft rides, and nothing with Uber.
It's important to remember that many candidates did not kick off their campaigns until the second quarter was already well underway, and so many amounts could rise quickly when the candidates file their third-quarter reports in August.
Here's how the candidates rank, without those who haven't filed any disbursements to Uber and Lyft:
