Republican Jamaican-American plans to oust Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Scherie Murray says she wants to build bridges, not burn them like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She touts her record of success in the community and says AOC's focus has not been on the district.
Republican Scherie Murray, a New York businesswoman who intends to challenge Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, said Thursday on "America’s Newsroom" that the rhetoric must be "dialed back."
Murray, 38, said her campaign will be about "prioritizing policies" and issues that affect the people of the Bronx and Queens district, like comprehensive immigration reform, infrastructure, and education.
Speaking on immigration, Murray, who immigrated from Jamaica as a child, explained that she understands the value of hard work.
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“I love this country, I know firsthand what it is to work hard ... and it is something that I don’t take for granted. I think it is a great opportunity for any immigrant to come to this country and be here in the greatest nation in the world.”
Murray is a former state committeewoman of the New York State Republican Party, and touts her “strong record of success” as the differentiating factor between her and the four other Republicans who have filed to run for the seat.
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“I’ve worked across the aisle, I’ve engaged constituents, elected officials," she said.
Taking sharp jabs at the 29-year-old Ocasio-Cortez, Murray said she feels the freshman Democrat is neglecting her constituents in a “limelight campaign,” and that despite it being an overwhelmingly Democratic district, she is “running a campaign to win.”
“There is a dysfunction here in New York State politics, and under the new leadership of chairman [Nick] Langworthy, the New York State Republican party is revitalized, retooled, and ready to go out there and win races," she said.
Murray announced her campaign earlier this week in a Fox News exclusive interview, calling Ocasio-Cortez a "crisis" for the district.
Murray joins four other Republicans who have filed to run for the seat: former police officer John Cummings, medical journalist Ruth Papazian, construction contractor Miguel Hernandez and entrepreneur Antoine Tucker. The GOP primary will take place in June 2020.
No Democrats have yet announced a primary challenge to Ocasio-Cortez, though there's been speculation that establishment Democrats could rally behind a primary challenger. Ocasio-Cortez shocked the political world in 2018 by defeating longtime Rep. Joe Crowley in a Democratic primary.
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