Welcome to The Dig, a podcast from Jacobin magazine. My name is Daniel Denver, and I'm broadcasting from Providence, Rhode Island.

Capitol Hill used to be a lonely place for a leftist. And frankly, it still is, but now that

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appears to be headed to Washington, Senator Bernie Sanders will likely

have some powerful company. Today, Sanders is my guest, and we're talking about the impact

of Acacio-Cortez's win and where the left goes from here.

This is the latest interview in this week's Acacio-Cortez Super Series, which has already included interviews with Acosio-Cortez and Cynthia Nixon.

Next up, tomorrow, is DSA member Julia Salazar, who is running for state senate in Brooklyn.

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lefty books to send you. Okay, here's Bernie Sanders, a U.S. Senator from Vermont.

Okay. Okay, here's Bernie Sanders, a U.S. Senator from Vermont. Senator Bernie Sanders, welcome back to the dig.

My pleasure. Good to be with you.

Alexandria Acacio-Cortez. What do you make of her victory, and do you think the Democratic

establishment is honestly reckoning with what it means for American politics that a Democratic

socialist knocked off one of the most powerful men in Congress?

Well, let me answer the second part of your question by saying no.

I don't think the Democratic leadership fully appreciates the significance of Alexandria's victory.

And the first part of your question is, I think what she, and not just her, she

has gotten a lot of attention. And her victory was extraordinary. She ran a really, really smart

campaign, grassroots campaign. She knocked on a heck of a lot of doors. She had great volunteers. It was a

brilliant campaign. But it's not just Alexandria. On the same night that Alexandria won, Ben Jealous

...