NYC Primary Election 2020: Michelle Caruso-Cabrera Takes On AOC
ASTORIA, QUEENS — Democrats in Queens will get to cast a ballot this month in a collection of local, state and federal primary races — including the 14th Congressional District, where U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will have to defend her seat against challengers Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, Badrun Khan and Sam Sloan.
Caruso-Cabrera, a Sunnyside resident, is a former CNBC anchor and contributor who now serves on the board of directors of the financial services company Beneficient Group. She previously worked as a reporter for the Florida television station WTSP-TV and for the network Univision News. She received bachelor's degrees in economics and Spanish from Wellesley College.
The 14th Congressional District includes parts of The Bronx and Queens. The Queens portion of the district includes the neighborhoods of Astoria, College Point, Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Woodside. The Bronx portion includes City Island, Country Club, Van Nest, Morris Park, Parkchester, Pelham Bay, Schuylerville, and Throggs Neck.
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The primary election, slated for June 23, is open to registered Democratic voters. All New York voters may request a mail-in ballot due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ballots must be postmarked by the date of the election for the vote to get counted.
For those who want to head to the polls, click here to find your poll site. Early voting is available from June 13 to June 21.
Patch reached out to all candidates in the primary election to create these profiles. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
Michelle Caruso-Cabrera
Age as of Election Day (Nov. 3)
51
NYC neighborhood of residence
Sunnyside, Queens
Position Sought
U.S. Congress
Party Affiliation
Democrat
Family
n/a
Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
No
Education
Wellesley College, Class of 1991
Economics/Spanish double major
Occupation
Aug 1998- Jan 2019: Contributor, Anchor and Reporter for CNBC.
Sept 1994- Jun 1998: Reporter for WTSP-TV.
Sept 1991- June 1994: Producer for Univision News
Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office
N/A
Campaign website
Michellecc2020.com
Why are you seeking elective office?
I’m the daughter and granddaughter of immigrants. I believe in the American dream. Our Congressional District is one of the most diverse in the nation. We are African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and a people of many other proud racial and ethnic descents. We are predominantly working people. And the working people of the Bronx and Queens are being robbed. When I talk to my hardworking neighbors, they tell me they want jobs. They want access to healthcare. And they want a Congresswoman who will work with others to lead their community out of this pandemic.
The single most pressing issue facing our nation/state/community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.
Jobs. My number one focus will be on bringing jobs back to the Bronx and Queens. We need this now more than ever. We must work with local businesses to make sure they get back on their feet. We also need to prioritize current local projects that can create job opportunities immediately. Sunnyside Yards in Queens has this potential. The Sunnyside Yards Master Plan calls for the creation of the Sunnyside Station, 100 percent affordable housing, new open space, equitable homeownership opportunities, infrastructure and other public amenities. I will do everything in my power, working alongside members of our community and local leaders, to make sure Sunnyside Yards and other projects like it succeed.
What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
My number one focus will be on bringing jobs back to the Bronx and Queens. We need this now more than ever. We must work with local businesses to make sure they get back on their feet. We also need to prioritize current local projects that can create job opportunities immediately. Sunnyside Yards in Queens has this potential. The Sunnyside Yards Master Plan calls for the creation of the Sunnyside Station, 100 percent affordable housing, new open space, equitable homeownership opportunities, infrastructure and other public amenities. I will do everything in my power, working alongside members of our community and local leaders, to make sure Sunnyside Yards and other projects like it succeed.
On health care, our campaign’s priority and my promise to the Bronx and Queens is ensuring we expand access to healthcare to all families. The federal government was wrong for trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act. I want to protect the working people of the Bronx and Queens and secure their right to quality, affordable health care. We also need to ensure continued protections are in place for the most vulnerable among us who have preexisting conditions.
The third priority of our campaign is bringing people together. I will unite the working people of the Bronx and Queens behind a vision of a more prosperous future with better economic opportunities. We stand the best chance of accomplishing this by working together at all levels of government. I pledge to partner with Governor Cuomo, Speaker Pelosi and Senator Schumer to ensure essential government services and better opportunities are provided to those in our communities who need them the most.
If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)
AOC is the ONLY Democrat to vote against funding for COVID testing, against funding for hospitals, and against funding for small businesses here in the Bronx and Queens during the height of the COVID19 crisis. She stayed in her luxury DC apartment with a Whole Foods in the basement instead of coming home when people in this district were dying.
Prior to COVID-19 she led the effort to block 25,000 good-paying jobs from coming to Queens. These were jobs if we had today would get those in our community back on their feet.
Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform
While AOC has been on the sidelines during this pandemic, I have been on the frontlines.
We’ve delivered hundreds of meals to hospitals for all our essential workers, we’ve distributed nearly more than 20,000 masks and more than100 gallons of hand sanitizer to local food pantries and churches and hospitals.
Since day one of our campaign we have been meeting with community organizations and small businesses all over the Bronx and Queens.
I care about the working people of this district. When I’m elected I will make sure my constituent services office is open and taking care of issues that effect us every day.
What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
I studied economics in college, and that dovetails with government. Many of the problems in economies, whether at the local level or across the country, go hand-in-hand with the challenges that elected leaders face. To have a stable and just society, you have to have a stable and just economy. Likewise, a failing economy creates societal challenges that governments must address. We are seeing this now in the context of COVID-19. I also saw this in 2010 when I was an investigative reporter assigned to the European financial crisis, reporting live from Athens, Rome, Frankfurt, Madrid, Brussels, Luxembourg and Cyprus. I spent nearly 5 years covering Greece’s economic crisis spending an entire month there in the summer of 2015 when they almost abandoned the Euro.
You need strong public servants who actually know what they’re doing to lead government through difficult times like these. It’s not a training ground. If you don’t understand the economy and how to work together with businesses to make it through tough times, society will unfortunately suffer. Most importantly, people will suffer.
The best advice ever shared with me was:
Unity overcomes divisiveness.
What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I am running for Congress to unify the party and work to bring people together, get results, and help everyone in the Bronx and Queens overcome the challenging times we are living in. To all the constituents in NY-14, I am ready to work for you.
This article originally appeared on the Astoria-Long Island City Patch
