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Caruso-Cabrera Says She's Ready To Give Rep. Ocasio-Cortez A Run For Her Money During Tuesday's Primary

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It has been a contentious primary battle in New York's 14th Congressional District, as freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez looks to win her party's nomination.

The campaigns have come down to the wire.

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Voters in the Bronx and parts of Queens will get a chance to either re-elect Ocasio-Cortez, or go with another political newcomer, former journalist Michelle Caruso-Cabrera.

"I want to get people back to work as soon as it's safe. We have terrible levels of unemployment in the Bronx and Queens. People are desperate to get back to work, so I want to focus on jobs. I want to focus on more resources for the public health system because we got hit so hard by COVID," Caruso-Cabrera told CBS2's Kevin Rincon on Monday.

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She has been critical of Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, mainly for her vote against the coronavirus relief package. At a debate last month, AOC explained.

"Yes, a lot of times I will stand up and say we can do better and sometimes that means being a lonely voice," Ocasio-Cortez said.

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The primary election isn't just about the future of the district; it's also about the future of the party.

"This is not an extremely progressive district, actually. They want someone who is not divisive. Someone who will work with Nancy Pelosi, not against her," Caruso-Cabrera said.

She said her district needs results, not a revolution. But Caruso-Cabrera has come under fire herself, because of the way her campaign has been funded.

"We really take as a compliment sort of the forces that have lined up against us this year. We've had three Super PACs spend in this race, all entirely funded by people from Wall Street, Trump donors, Republicans. It makes clear the choice the voters have on Tuesday," AOC communications director Lauren Hitt said.

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Hitt said her boss has been a staunch advocate for New Yorkers, in her unique way.

"She is who she is. She's not a typical D.C. politician. She's from here. She says what she means, and she means what she says, and I think that sort of authenticity, even if people don't agree with us all the time, we know that we're being straight with them and that we're representing them," Hitt said.

The election is Tuesday, with in-person voting, but absentee ballots won't be counted until next week. So, it'll take awhile before the public knows the results.

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