# AOC has a formidable primary challenger in journalist Maria Caruso-Cabrera **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 5, 2020, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148 "2020-04-05T20:55:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Linden\_Arden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Linden\_Arden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linden_Arden)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/1 "2020-04-05T20:55:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Caruso-Cabrera said she decided to go into public service and challenge the freshman congresswoman after watching Ocasio-Cortez’s vocal opposition to Amazon’s plan to build a major campus in Queens. A poll conducted by the Siena College Research Institute last year found that 38% of New Yorkers labeled the congresswoman “a villain” in Amazon’s forced pullout. “She threw away 25,000 jobs and she’s proud of it, she owns it,” Caruso-Cabrera said. “I just couldn’t stand by and watch that.” She added, “It’s obvious that Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t pay attention to her district or her constituents. She spends a lot of time on TV shows, in Hollywood, and she’s spending all this time on the campaign trail for other constituents that have nothing to do with her district,” a reference to Ocasio-Cortez’s stumping for Sanders. “The district deserves someone who’s actually interested in their issues and what they need.” Caruso-Cabrera pointed out that she announced her decision to run for the seat while Ocasio-Cortez was in New Hampshire campaigning with Sanders in an effort “to highlight where she wasn’t” — in her own district. > **[From CNBC to Congress: How Michelle Caruso-Cabrera intends to challenge...](https://jewishinsider.com/2020/03/from-cnbc-to-congress-how-michelle-caruso-cabrera-intends-to-unseat-alexandria-ocasio-cortez/)** > > 'The district deserves someone who's actually interested in their issues and what they need' MCC is a longshot but the way moderate Dems have been pounding DSA types don’t be surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Linden\_Arden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Linden\_Arden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linden_Arden)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/2 "2020-04-05T21:02:46Z")
Sorry, missed the edit window. Her name is Michelle, not Maria. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/3 "2020-04-06T05:33:12Z")
> [@Linden\_Arden](#): > > Sorry, missed the edit window. Her name is Michelle, not Maria. I would have bet on Elizabeth Crowley but since AOC has moderated her stance on primarying mainstream Democrats, I don’t think it’s going to happ-en. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/4 "2020-04-06T14:48:52Z")
Will AOC’s democrat constituents really prefer a republican nominee? > [@](#): > > Caruso-Cabrera is the author of You Know I’m Right: More Prosperity, Less Government, which calls for fiscal conservatism, limited government and personal accountability. The book, which came out in 2010, includes a foreword from Larry Kudlow, President Donald Trump’s top economic advisor. Caruso-Cabrera registered as a Democrat in 2016. She wouldn’t say who she voted for in the 2016 presidential election, but told JI that she plans to support the Democratic nominee in November. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/5 "2020-04-06T15:15:30Z")
Caruso-Cabrera’s candidacy was announced back in early February. AOC’s vulnerability is that she spends more time on issues not as related to her district. AOC’s strength is that she’s very well known across the country. People like that their rep is well known. It’s a double edged sword for AOC. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/6 "2020-04-06T15:27:07Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Will AOC’s democrat constituents really prefer a republican nominee? She’s an opportunist; that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/7 "2020-04-06T15:37:26Z")
A Representative isn’t a Senator; she should be focusing on more local/district issues. Instead, AOC has been behaving like a Senator or presidential candidate at times, going around stumping nationwide for national/international issues and behaving like a national-level politician. Not that she isn’t allowed to, but a Representative is supposed to pay a considerable amount of attention to her district first. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/8 "2020-04-06T16:06:57Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Will AOC’s democrat constituents really prefer a republican nominee? Nope. A lot of them are a little pissed at her over the Amazon jobs but they will not vote for a Republican. The only way AOC loses is if she goes off the rails and has to be primaried. For a while it looks like that might happen but now with her newfound maturity, she will probably not face a serious primary challenge. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/9 "2020-04-06T16:46:26Z")
She’ll be fine imo. Turn out was something like 13% last time vs Crowley which helped her as the challenger but now as the incumbent and a very recognizable incumbent, I expect turn out to rise significantly in her favor. Fox News and right wing media jump on her back and find faults in every word because she’s got personality and clout to bring in a new kind of voter. She’s a pop-culture politician. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/10 "2020-04-06T17:02:38Z")
Having an influential national figure as Rep is almost always good for a locality – influential Reps are more likely to get stuff that benefits their district. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/11 "2020-04-06T17:07:07Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Caruso-Cabrera’s candidacy was announced back in early February. > > AOC’s vulnerability is that she spends more time on issues not as related to her district. > > AOC’s strength is that she’s very well known across the country. People like that their rep is well known. > > It’s a double edged sword for AOC. > [@Velocity](#): > > A Representative isn’t a Senator; she should be focusing on more local/district issues. Instead, AOC has been behaving like a Senator or presidential candidate at times, going around stumping nationwide for national/international issues and behaving like a national-level politician. Not that she isn’t allowed to, but a Representative is supposed to pay a considerable amount of attention to her district first. Do either of you live in her district or are you just seeing what the national media is reporting? ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/12 "2020-04-06T17:13:48Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Having an influential national figure as Rep is almost always good for a locality – influential Reps are more likely to get stuff that benefits their district. Reps that can influence votes, yes. Reps that influence twitter trends, yet to be seen. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/13 "2020-04-06T18:43:18Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > …t since AOC has moderated her stance on primarying mainstream Democrats,… Explain, please? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/14 "2020-04-06T18:45:29Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Will AOC’s democrat constituents really prefer a republican nominee? :rolleyes: Caruso-Cabrera is a Democrat. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/15 "2020-04-06T19:44:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > :rolleyes: Caruso-Cabrera is a Democrat. A fiscally conservative Democrat who may have voted for Trump in 2016 and whose book includes a Larry Kudlow foreward. She’s not nearly as much of a Democrat as, oh, to pick someone at totally random, Bernie Sanders. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/16 "2020-04-06T20:05:22Z")
I confess that while I don’t always agree with AOC, I’ve become mightily impressed by her. She strikes me as someone who has good political instincts that weren’t that sharp initially, but she’s definitely honed those skills. She also has a pretty good command of the issues as well, not just on a superficial level. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/17 "2020-04-06T22:31:15Z")
Don’t know anything about MCC, but New Yorkers have been willing to vote for Democrats who had been Republican in their past before … This is an outsider’s perspective but my impression is that AOC is popular as a personality and as a celebrity, but not because her progressive positions are so beloved within her district. The lost Amazon jobs may be a more salient item in a New York economy hobbled by COVID-19. Polls on the recovery side of the COVID-19 peak, as a campaign heats up, will be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/18 "2020-04-07T18:00:37Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Having an influential national figure as Rep is almost always good for a locality – influential Reps are more likely to get stuff that benefits their district. Unless the Rep uses her influence so that her district doesn’t get stuff that would benefit them, like jobs. > [@](#): > > Caruso-Cabrera is the author of You Know I’m Right: More Prosperity, Less Government, which calls for fiscal conservatism, limited government and personal accountability. Someone with some sense against a far-left, pretty progressive fruitcake with no math skills and great PR. Caruso-Cabrera doesn’t stand a chance. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/19 "2020-04-07T19:54:04Z")
AOC does appear to be vulnerable in her own district but only if someone pulls an AOC on her in the primary. She won by going grassroots and hitting the pavement. Working hard going door to door and getting supporters out to vote in a low turnout primary. It also helped to have a complacent opponent. I can’t seem to recall what it is but I think there might be something going on that would keep a grassroots door to door hands on campaign from happening. I think she is safe. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148/20 "2020-04-07T20:06:44Z")
Even without a pandemic, I would be extremely shocked someone could beat her. She clearly likes the work at every level and is charismatic as hell. She showed her campaigning chops as an insurgent and it’s only easier for her as incumbent. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-has-a-formidable-primary-challenger-in-journalist-maria-caruso-cabrera/851148.md?page=2)