Michelle Caruso-Cabrera


Michelle Caruso-Cabrera is an American journalist and a former political candidate. A regular CNBC contributor, she was Chief International Correspondent for eight years, and co-host of Power Lunch and Worldwide Exchange.
A longtime member of the Republican Party, Caruso-Cabrera moved from Midtown Manhattan to Sunnyside, Queens in late 2019. Less than a year later, she filed to challenge incumbent Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic primary for New York's 14th congressional district, which covers portions of The Bronx and Queens. Caruso-Cabrera was soundly defeated in the primary.

Early life and education

Caruso-Cabrera was born in Dayton, Ohio and raised in Nashua, New Hampshire. After attending Nashua High School, she graduated from Wellesley College in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in Economics. In 1990, while still in college, she worked as a stringer for The New York Times, reporting for the education section.

Career

Caruso-Cabrera was a researcher and later a special projects producer for Univision, where she was a producer on a team that won an Emmy Award for a five-part series on children with AIDS. She also received a Broadcaster of the Year award from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She then worked as a reporter for WTSP in St. Petersburg, Florida.
She joined CNBC in 1998. She co-anchored Power Lunch with Bill Griffeth from 2002 to 2003. Caruso-Cabrera was replaced as an anchor by Sue Herera. As part of CNBC's extensive market coverage, Caruso-Cabrera started appearing regularly on Power Lunch in 2009 in an analyst capacity. Caruso-Cabrera was promoted to co-presenter of Power Lunch in 2009, and remained in that position until 2013. She rejoined Power Lunch for her third stint as co-presenter on January 19, 2016, replacing the departed Amanda Drury. She co-hosted Power Lunch and the Worldwide Exchange program. She is a CNBC contributor, and held the title of Chief International Correspondent for eight years.
Caruso-Cabrera is the author of the 2010 book, You Know I'm Right: More Prosperity, Less Government. The book has a foreword by Larry Kudlow, President Donald Trump's National Economic Council director. The book calls for the elimination of both social security and Medicare, among numerous other conservative positions.

2020 House campaign

Caruso-Cabrera filed official paperwork on February 10, 2020, challenging freshman Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic primary for New York's 14th congressional district, which covers portions of The Bronx and Queens. Caruso-Cabrera was endorsed by the United States Chamber of Commerce, a traditionally conservative lobbying group that supports business-related causes. On April 8, 2020, it was reported that Caruso-Cabrera's campaign had raised $1 million. It was reported that Caruso-Cabrera was a registered Republican until just a few years before 2020, and that she authored a book in 2010, "You Know I’m Right: More Prosperity, Less Government," which advocated for an end to Medicare and Social Security. It was also reported that over four dozen finance industry professionals, including private equity executives and investment bankers, have made early donations to Caruso-Cabrera. She received only 7,393 votes, finishing over 53 points behind Ocasio-Cortez in second place.

Personal life

Caruso-Cabrera moved to Sunnyside, Queens less than a year before running announcing her candidacy for congress. She had previously lived in Trump Tower in Manhattan for several years. Caruso-Cabrera is married to Stephen Dizard, an investment banker and Republican Party donor.