Former MSNBC anchor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera says she is going to mount a challenge to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in New York’s 14th District.
Caruso-Cabrera filed to run as a surprise challenger late Monday night. She will be taking a leave from her role as a CNBC contributor, which she took on after her job at the network as an anchor in 2018.
“I am the daughter and granddaughter of working-class Italian and Cuban immigrants,” Caruso-Cabrera said in a statement. “I am so lucky to have had such a wonderful career and I want everybody to have the opportunity that I’ve had. That’s why I’m running.”
Caruso-Cabrera will draw a stark contrast to Ocasio-Cortez, who proudly promotes Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) brand of Democratic socialism.
Caruso-Cabrera has been outspoken about her belief that the government can get in the way and she is a proponent of free markets. Additionally, she previously published the book “You Know I’m Right: More Prosperity, Less Government.”
I'm running for NY-14, to fight for the people of Queens & the Bronx, daughter of Cuban immigrants and living the American Dream 🇺🇸 https://t.co/DY5eLoCKgL
— Michelle Caruso-Cabrera (@MCaruso_Cabrera) February 11, 2020
Caruso-Cabrera will be joining a crowded field. Around a dozen candidates have already filed to run in the district, according to CNBC, but she is one of the higher-profile challengers. Still, it could be an uphill battle.
Ocasio-Cortez stunned the Democratic establishment and the political world when she dismantled now-former Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) in the 2018 election, winning 78% of the vote and becoming one of the most well-known members of Congress overnight. Since then, she’s also been a fundraising juggernaut, raising nearly $2 million over the final three months of 2019.
Ocasio-Cortez is yet to comment on Caruso-Cabrera entering the race.