Young Republicans booted from Raleigh Uber over backseat politics
RALEIGH, North Carolina -- A group of young Republican activists say they were kicked out of their Uber Saturday night in North Carolina, because the driver disagreed with their conservative politics.
The six activists were members of the Washington D.C. Young Republicans visiting the area to campaign for several GOP candidates.
The group ordered an Uber to get them from Wake Forest back to downtown Raleigh, and as they were riding, the group says they were discussing Republican political issues. That's when they say the driver pulled into a gas station and ordered them out of the car.
"When he pulled over, he said, I'm terminating your ride and I reserve the right to refuse service to whoever I choose," said Chris Godbey, executive director of the Young Republican National Federation. "And as we're exiting the vehicle, he said, 'Welcome to the resistance.'"
Stranded at the gas station, Godbey and his companions hailed a new Uber that got them to their destination.
The ride-sharing company has since offered to comp their ride, but Godbey believes the loss of political civility is the real cost of the incident.
"You cannot have a business that is going to discriminate based on political beliefs, especially not in the United States," he said. "That is not what we're about."
After getting wind of what happened, Asheville Republican Congressman Mark Meadows tweeted an offer to buy the group $100 gift cards for Uber's competitor, Lyft.
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