The Uber driver who ferried Republican presidential contender Jeb Bush to a San Francisco startup on Thursday had no idea he had a candidate in the car -- that is until the duo arrived at their destination.
Here's what they encountered:
"Thanks for the ride!" - Jeb Bush to his Uber driver as he gets off at his morning stop: Thumbtack HQ! #Thumbtack #JebBushInSF #QandA #2016Race #SoTechForward A photo posted by Ellen Ennes (@lnns72) on Jul 16, 2015 at 9:36am PDT
“I had no idea," the driver of the black Toyota Camry, a 35-year-old Yemeni named Munir Algazaly, told the New York Times. He described Bush as "a nice guy."
Jeb emerges from his Uber A photo posted by Zeke Miller (@zekejmiller) on Jul 16, 2015 at 9:32am PDT
Bush tweeted a photo and said he "rode shotgun" in the car, adding that he gave him a five-star review.
Political hazards of taking @Uber: the car @JebBush left @Thumbtack in today had a license plate holder that read "Fresh As F*ck"— Doug Sovern (@SovernNation) July 16, 2015
Unfortunately for Bush, though, he didn't secure the driver's vote. Algazaly said he was going to vote for Hillary Clinton, the democratic frontrunner in the race, according to Time.
Rode shotgun in @Uber this morning to @Thumbtack here in SF. 5 stars for Munir pic.twitter.com/Xg0BeZBgJA— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) July 16, 2015
Bush was in town to visit Thumbtack headquarters, where he spoke about the benefits of small businesses and entrepreneurship.
The choice to take an Uber there was no campaign coincidence.
"Governor Bush believes harnessing innovation and fostering technology can help us grow at 4 percent once again," Bush campaign spokeswoman Allie Brandenburger told Mashable. "We will do this by getting Washington off the backs of innovators like Uber, not trying to plan the future of our economy from D.C."
Bush has commended the ride-sharing service for its disruptive technology in the past. Republican candidates Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz have also praised it. Cruz even said he wants to emulate Uber by becoming his own "disruptive app" for politics, according to Politico.
Their potential rival, Hillary Clinton, has promised to crack down on companies that wrongly classify workers as contractors. She has praised the "gig economy" for creating exciting opportunities, but has also said it is raising hard questions about workplace protections. Uber drivers aren't employees, so they aren't eligible for overtime pay, unemployment insurance or workers' compensation.
The company, however, seems to be more aligned with the left.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has spoke positively of Obamacare, saying "the democratization of those types of benefits allow people to have more flexible ways to make a living" at a dinner, according to Buzzfeed. “They don’t have to be working for The Man.”
Uber had not responded to an inquiry from Mashable.