Former longtime CNBC correspondent and anchor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera has launched a challenge in the Democratic primary against freshman firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Caruso-Cabrera, who became a CNBC contributor when she left the network in September 2018, serves as a member of the board of directors for financial services firm Beneficient. She will take a leave from her role as CNBC contributor for the duration of the campaign, a CNBC spokesperson said.
According to a filing late Monday, she will run as a Democrat in that party's primary in the 14th District. Caruso-Cabrera is known to be a skeptic of government and a proponent of free markets. In 2010, she published a book called "You Know I'm Right: More Prosperity, Less Government." She has been a registered Democrat for several years.
"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 spent more than 20 years with CNBC, serving as a co-anchor of "Power Lunch" and as the network's chief international correspondent.
Ocasio-Cortez has emerged as one of the most influential voices on the American left, gaining national attention for her outspoken support for policies such as "Medicare for All" and her endorsement of democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders' run for the Democratic presidential nomination. President Donald Trump has targeted her in tweets and speeches.
She stunned the Democratic mainstream when she defeated veteran Rep. Joe Crowley in the party's congressional primary in 2018. She coasted to victory in the general election over her GOP rival, Anthony Pappas, with 78% of the vote.
About a dozen candidates have already filed to run for the 14th District seat, which encompasses parts of the Bronx and Queens.
The primary is slated for June 23.
A representative for Ocasio-Cortez didn't immediately return a request for comment.