For Hannah Lee Lindstrom, 26, the excitement surrounding Ocasio-Cortez’s win gave clarity about her own political ideology after years of exploration. “I went to libertarian meetings, anarchist meetings, communist meetings, and I just found that the socialist agenda is what I truly found myself believing in,” says the waitress and community college student from Shoreview, MN. Sixteen-year-old Grace Bassekle spent a morning standing in line in the rain to attend a Sanders rally in late July after learning about democratic socialism through a YouTube video she watched about Ocasio-Cortez’s victory. “I was like, ‘Oh, I do agree with certain issues that they talk about,’” the Minnesota high school junior says. “We should have free public colleges because as a society we should be investing in the younger ones. We shouldn’t have students going to school and being in debt.” Hilary, a 32-year-old musician and retail worker living in St. Paul, was also moved by the New York race to get involved. She attended her first DSA meeting in July: “I know it sounds a little snobbish, but I was like okay, they can really organize, and this is amazing so let me see what’s happening in my city.”