You are reading

Former CNBC Anchor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera Has Raised $1 Million to Challenge AOC for NY-14 Seat

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (left) and Michelle Caruso-Cabrera

April 14, 2020 By Allie Griffin

A former CNBC anchor and Sunnyside resident Michelle Caruso-Cabrera has raised approximately $1 million in campaign funds to take on liberal congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the NY-14 seat.

Caruso-Cabrera will report $800,000 for the first quarter ending March 31 — after expenses — tomorrow, according to her campaign office. The former journalist hopes to beat Ocasio-Cortez in a crowded June 23 Democratic primary and is running as a moderate.

She said that that her large campaign chest reflects the level of support she has received from the public.

“Before Coronavirus people were stopping me on the street showing their excitement. And from the beginning the countless handwritten letters from near and far from across the country have been so moving,” Caruso-Cabrera said. “The national and local messages are clear: I will unite. AOC’s reign of division will end.”

Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign said it would be releasing her first quarter fundraising numbers tomorrow, on the filing deadline. She had $2.9 million on hand at the end of 2019, according to a spokesperson.

The congresswoman stopped raising campaign funds after the outbreak of COVID-19 and focused on  bringing in money to local organizations. She has helped raise nearly $200,000 for community groups as of Friday, a campaign spokesperson said.

However, Caruso-Cabrera has been critical of Ocasio-Cortez, alleging that she has not being responsive to her constituents since the outbreak began. She accused Ocasio-Cortez of living large in her D.C. apartment for 10 days earlier this month, while Queens and Bronx residents dealt with the crisis.

“For weeks families have been worried about where they are going to get their next paycheck,” Caruso-Cabrera said in a statement on April 4. “AOC hasn’t been here to see their desperation and their struggle to survive. Why is she in DC when Congress isn’t in session?”

Ocasio-Cortez has been back and forth between the district and DC. On Friday, she was delivering meals to residents of LeFrak City, which was posted to Instagram.

She has also hosted several virtual town halls addressing COVID-19. Her virtual meeting have addressed topics such as how people can get unemployment insurance and what loan/grant packages are available to small businesses. She also spoke about the stimulus package at a virtual meeting held by Queens Community Board 2.

Nevertheless, Caruso-Cabrera said New Yorkers want a more moderate candidate that Ocasio-Cortez.

“The tide in this country has turned dramatically toward moderates like Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senator Chuck Schumer, and Vice President Joe Biden who know how to lead, and against Democratic Socialists like AOC and Bernie Sanders who only understand extremist politics,” Caruso-Cabrera said in a release.

“Here in NY-14, I am the only candidate emphasizing cooperation, conciliation, getting things done and getting results for the Bronx and Queens at this time of great uncertainty.”

Caruso-Cabrera is one of at least six candidates running in the Democratic primary.

A map showing Congressional District 14, which includes portions Astoria, College Point, Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

One Comment

Click for Comments 
AlmadeCubano

Ms. Caruso Cabrera can pay every voter in the district to vote for her.

She’s still gonna lose big.

16
Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Fresh Meadows MS-13 gang associate sentenced to nearly a half-century in prison for murder of Corona teen in Kissena Park: Feds

An MS-13 gang associate from Fresh Meadows was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison on Tuesday, Aug. 26, for the 2018 slaying of a Corona teenager in Flushing’s Kissena Park.

Juan Amaya-Ramirez, 27, and his co-defendant Oscar Flores-Mejia, 25, from Elmhurst, who is also an associate of the transnational criminal organization, pleaded guilty to the murder of 17-year-old Andy Peralta in Brooklyn federal court last September.

Plant Powered Metro NY helps reverse chronic illness with food and community

Aug. 28, 2025 By Jessica Militello

When Northern Queens resident Sherika Sterling discovered Plant Powered Metro NY’s Jumpstart program, she was struggling with a list of health issues that she thought she would have to deal with her entire life. After joining the program and changing to a plant-based diet, she was able to reverse many of her chronic ailments, including being pre-diabetic, after being equipped with practical tools, knowledge and plant-based recipes.

AG’s office launches investigation into death of man run over by police officer in Flushing Meadows Corona Park

The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI) has launched a probe into the death of a civilian on Saturday, Aug. 23, following a motor vehicle collision involving NYPD officers in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

At approximately 4:37 p.m., an NYPD officer from the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst was driving westbound in a marked police cruiser, a 2015 Ford Taurus, at around 10 miles per hour in front of the Queens Theater on United Nations Avenue South, across from the Unisphere, when the vehicle ran over a man who was allegedly lying face up on the roadway prior to the collision, police said.