Former D.C. Councilman Kenyan McDuffie, who’s running for mayor of Washington, D.C., accused the rideshare app Empower of intimidating him on Friday because he supported shutting down its operations in the federal district as a lawmaker last year.
The dispute stems from regulatory issues facing Empower in D.C. and the broader metropolitan area, including Virginia and Maryland. The company is based in McLean, Virginia.
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“Recently, the chief of staff to Empower CEO Joshua Sear threatened me that if I did not meet with Empower and support their bill, the company would send negative messages about me and urge consumers not to rank me on their ballots in the upcoming mayoral election,” McDuffie said in a video.
The politician explained his daughter has received “vile messages” due to Empower’s alleged lobbying efforts.
One of the Instagram messages seen in the video read: “tell yo father to unban empower b4 i do his ahh like charlie kirk,” referring to the co-founder of Turning Point USA who was fatally shot at a campus event in Utah last year. The subsequent message appeared to state: “d*** eating uber.”
Despite what the threat says, Empower is not facing a simple ban. Rather, the company has been hit with hefty fines for not clarifying its rideshare rules. What differs Empower from similar apps, such as Uber or Lyft, is that it doesn’t provide insurance coverage for its drivers in the event of a car accident. As a result, Empower hasn’t obtained legal status in the nation’s capital.
While serving on the D.C. Council, McDuffie acknowledged that Empower’s D.C. operations aren’t legal, hence the opposition he faces from the company.
“Let me be clear, I will not be intimidated,” the former councilman said. “I will not reward threats, and I will not agree to meet with any organization that believes it can pressure public officials into looking the other way while it violates the law for political gain.”
“And let me be absolutely clear, I will do everything humanly possible to protect my family,” he concluded.
Empower condemns any harassment of McDuffie or his family, the company told the Washington Examiner.
“Over the past several months, Empower made repeated good-faith requests to meet with former Councilmember McDuffie regarding a critical pocketbook issue affecting hundreds of thousands of District residents,” the company said. “When those repeated requests went unanswered, the company informed Mr. McDuffie that it would publicly communicate where he stands on this issue and encourage DC residents to communicate to him where they stand.”
“Given the close ties between his campaign and Uber, it’s not surprising that Mr. McDuffie would view having to discuss his position on affordable transportation and the right of drivers to work for themselves instead of for Uber as a threat to his campaign,” it added.
Empower recently displayed an in-app message telling D.C. residents to vote against McDuffie in the upcoming mayoral primary.
“If you want Empower to stay in DC, leave Kenyan McDuffie off your ballot!” the message reads. “Former Councilmember McDuffie continues to support Uber’s efforts to shut down Empower in DC. It’s simple: When you rank your choices for Mayor in the upcoming Democratic Primary this June, leave McDuffie off your ballot.”
Notably, the statement did not mention D.C. councilwoman and mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George or her support for having Empower in the city.
A pop-up service alert recently targeted Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is using her executive power to shut down the rideshare app over safety concerns.
Empower isn’t registered with the D.C. Department of For-Hire Vehicles, which regulates private vehicle-for-hire operators.
The software company violated a contempt order that sought to prevent its operations in the district. The D.C. Superior Court issued the order in October 2025.
In February, the same court began reinstating millions of dollars in fines against Empower and Sear for continuing to operate in open defiance of the order. Sear once said he would shut down the app for D.C. riders, but that doesn’t appear to be the case today. The company’s appeal has already failed.
Adding to its regulatory and legal woes, Empower is being sued by New York City for illegally operating without an agency-issued license.
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Like McDuffie, other D.C. politicians have faced pressure from Empower in the past. It created a campaign committee dedicated to leading an unsuccessful recall attempt against D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb last year. Empower claims Schwalb and Bowser are both “backed” by Uber.
In the mayoral race this year, McDuffie and George are currently the two candidates leading the nine-candidate Democratic primary field. The primary is scheduled for June 16.
