A former longtime CNBC anchor announced plans Tuesday to run against incumbent New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for a Congressional seat representing parts of the Bronx and Queens.
Michelle Caruso-Cabrera appeared on NBCUniversal’s CNBC for more than two decades, first as an anchor who once hosted “Power Lunch” and rose to the title of chief international correspondent, and, more recently, as a contributor who might fill in on programs such as the network’s long-running morning program, “Squawk Box.” She appeared on that program in recent days, filling in for the show’s regular anchors. Now she will vie for a post she has never held: a member of Congress.
CNBC said in a statement that Caruso-Cabrera would no longer work as a contributor. Caruso-Cabrera left a full-time role at CNBC in 2018, when she joined the board of Beneficient, a Dallas financial services company.
Ocasio-Cortez has gained a wider profile as a backer of progressive causes who is adept at using social media. Caruso-Cabrera will challenge her in the Democratic primary, but likely as a candidate who does not lean as leftward. She is the author of the 2010 book “You Know I’m Right: More Prosperity, Less Government,” which aims to correct government overreach on behalf of “fiscally conservative but socially liberal” Americans.
“I am the daughter and granddaughter of working class Italian and Cuban immigrants,” the former anchor 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.”