From car and phone to tractor owners, a populist wave is rising to end the 'captive' repair economy

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Casey Putsch speaks with supporters at a campaign event in Toledo, Ohio, on Thursday, April 9, 2026. He is far behind in the polls, but Putsch is part of a nationwide message of economic populism and is promoting "right to repair" legislation. Sue Ogrocki | AP It used to be that if your iPhone or Galaxy was damaged, you were at the mercy of Apple or Samsung to get it fixed as manufacturers snowed customers with a blizzard of unattainable proprietary parts and software diagnostics. But that pain hasn't been limited to smartphones, and a legal movement challenging who controls the diagnostic and reprogramming tools for anything from phones to automobiles, dishwashers and farm equipment — all of which consumers say have become increasingly difficult to get repaired inexpensively — continues to gain political momentum across the country. The right-to-repair movement has done something seemingly impossible: brought Republicans and Democrats together, with the movement succeeding with a wave of state laws enacted in recent years and a new push in the U.S. House and Senate. Since right-to-repair electronics legislation was passed in 2022 in New York State, the tide has been turning. California, Colorado, Minnesota, Connecticut and Oregon have all passed comprehensive right-to-repair regulations. Washington joined them most recently in May 2025. As of this year, advocates are tracking 57 right-to-repair bills across 22 states. …