Has any politician been more influential over the past eight months than U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? Carpal-tunnel-inducing Twitter rants and liberal fan-fiction policy proclamations aside, Ocasio-Cortez seems to have touched off a revolution among progressive Democrats across the country.
In Colorado, Crisanta Duran appears to have picked up the banner and begun marching.
Her shock announcement to mount a Democratic primary challenge against Rep. Diana DeGette, a Democratic incumbent with a quarter century of elections beneath her belt, caught most politicos by surprise.
The real question for Denver Democrats will be whether Duran represents a Centennial State version of Ocasio-Cortez or is just another ambitious politician trying to ride the current electoral wave.
