WALL STREET titans are throwing cash behind a bid to dislodge Democratic Party congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the New York primary on June 23, according to a report by news website the Intercept.

Investigations showed that more than four dozen finance-industry bigwigs, including private-equity executives and investment bankers, are bankrolling the campaign of former registered Republican Michelle Caruso-Cabrera.

Those donating to the bid to unseat the leftwinger include the chief executives of Goldman Sachs and Virtu Financial.

The US Chamber of Commerce, which traditionally spends millions of dollars on Republican candidates, also announced it would mobilise business interests to support Ms Caruso-Cabrera.

Ms Caruso-Cabrera is a former business reporter for CNBC and is known for her conservatism, authoring a 2010 book which called for an end to Medicare and social security, which she described as “pyramid schemes.”

She has advocated the policies of former president Ronald Reagan and is on record as saying: “Freedom and democracy are best secured when banking secrecy and tax havens exist.”

By contrast, Ms Ocasio-Cortez has taken on Wall Street during congressional hearings. 

Last April she clashed with JP Morgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon over the prosecution of bankers for their role in the 2008 global financial crash.

And she challenged the private-equity industry, saying: “I wasn’t sent here to safeguard and protect profit, I was sent here to safeguard and protect people,” during testimony in November.

The pair disagree on Medicare, with Ms Ocasio-Cortez favouring the policies advocated by former candidate for the Democratic Party presidential nomination Bernie Sanders.

He stood down last week, leaving former vice-president Joe Biden a clear run in the bid to take on incumbent US President Donald Trump in November’s election.