A Republican candidate running against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dropped out of the primary race, saying Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s lockdown orders during the coronavirus have stifled her ability to campaign.

“Governor Cuomo’s undemocratic Executive Orders overthrew New York’s electoral process. The right to access the ballot, freedom of association as a member of a political party, the exchange of ideas and free speech are so sacred that the Founding Fathers made it the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States,” Scherie Murray’s campaign said in a statement issued late Monday.

“Notwithstanding, during the coronavirus pandemic, Governor Cuomo’s Executive Orders have gone unchecked, affirming the ability to silence Murray’s First Amendment rights,” it continued.

Murray, a Jamaican immigrant, expressed thanks to the people in the congressional district and vowed to fight on.

“As long as avowed socialists are legislators, you can rest assured I will use my platform to advocate for the kitchen table issues of the toughest, hardest working New Yorkers. This is not the end for Scherie Murray because I will continue to work hard,” she said in the statement.

The state’s primary election is on June 23.

Ocasio-Cortez, who defeated longtime Rep. Joe Crowley in June 2018, faces a number of Democratic primary challengers, including Michelle Caruso-Caberra, Badrun Khan and Sam Sloan.