- Pro-Trump Republican Cara Castronuova, 44, is running for U.S. Senate
- Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand holds the seat and is running for re-election
- Castronuova is a two-time Golden Gloves champion and conservative reporter
A boxing star and former Biggest Loser celebrity trainer has entered the race in an attempt to strip Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of her Senate seat in New York.
Cara Castronuova, 44, is staunchly pro-Trump and is coming late to the Republican primary — but says she thinks it will take “a female candidate” to beat Gillibrand.
“I just feel like it’s wide open for someone, the right candidate, to win in New York, and I just feel like I’m that right candidate,” she told DailyMail.com. “If there was someone in it who was better than me, I’d be happy not to run from it.”
Castronuova, who is of Chinese, Filipino and Italian descent, said she would focus her campaign on medical freedom, fighting political persecution and addressing the migrant issue and its impact on New York.
Pro-Trump Republican Cara Castronuova, 44, is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Castronuova (right) is a former boxer, two-time Golden Gloves champion and former celebrity trainer on The Biggest Loser. She claims that New York “isn’t as blue as everyone thinks
She said New York Mayor Eric Adams’ initiative to give migrants $13 a day on a prepaid credit card is “sad” when there are Americans and veterans living below the poverty line.
Castronuova is also a conservative journalist and has spoken out in support of those prosecuted for crimes at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Although she has not spoken to Trump about her bid for office, Castronuova has the support of several figures in the MAGA world, including former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani and former Trump adviser Roger Stone.
The former boxer and two-time Golden Gloves champion says he is prepared to ‘fight’ and is ‘not afraid’ of the difficult road to victory.
“Three years ago I fought for political prisoners from January 6, when no one else could even talk about this – it was taboo,” she told DailyMail.com in an interview. ‘I fought against the lockdowns in the beginning, for medical freedom. And that’s the same way I want to run for the Senate seat and for people in New York.”
‘(I) am not afraid to say how I feel and who I am. I’m unapologetically, you know, America’s first candidate here in New York, which I think kind of sets me apart from the other candidates right now.”
Castronuova speaks with former President Donald Trump. She says she wants to speak to Trump about her bid
Castronuova has the support of many Trump figures, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (pictured) and former adviser Roger Stone
Retired NYPD detective Michael Sapraicone and businessman Josh Eisen are also running in the Republican primary for the New York Senate seat. Sapraicone is considered the front-runner and could likely garner some of the most significant endorsements from GOP leaders in the state.
Gillibrand was appointed to the U.S. Senate for New York in 2008, when President aBrack Obama selected then-New York junior Senator Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State.
Although New York is considered a Democratic stronghold due to New York City’s huge liberal population, Castronuova says the state is “not as blue as everyone thinks” and believes now is the time to flip the seat.
“I think it’s an opportunity that the Republican Party should take very seriously, but with the right candidate, and I think that’s me,” she said. “I fight with all my heart for the things I believe in and I redouble my efforts even when it is unpopular.”