Former CNBC host Caruso-Cabrera to challenge Ocasio-Cortez

NEW YORK (AP) — Former CNBC anchor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera said Tuesday she will run against U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, joining a dozen other candidates who have announced plans to challenge the high-profile freshman from New York City.

Caruso-Cabrera told CNBC that she will run against Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic primary for the seat that includes parts of the Bronx and Queens.

“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.”

Ocasio-Cortez stunned the political establishment when she defeated 10-term Rep. Joe Crowley in the 2018 Democratic primary and went on to win the general election.

She has emerged since then as a standard-bearer for the Democratic Party's left flank, calling for a “Green New Deal” and the elimination of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Representatives for Ocasio-Cortez did not return an email seeking comment.

Eight Republicans and four other Democrats besides Caruso-Cabrera have announced plans to run against Ocasio-Cortez this year. The filing deadline for the June 23 primary is April 2.

Caruso-Cabrera became a CNBC contributor when she left her full-time position at the network in September 2018. She served as chief international correspondent and as co-host of “Power Lunch” during her 20-year career at the network. A proponent of free markets, she is the author of a 2010 book titled “You Know I'm Right: More Prosperity, Less Government.”

She will take a leave from her role as CNBC contributor during the campaign.