Democrats with an eye on the future have descended this year on South by Southwest, the multi-genre festival in Austin, Texas. The worlds of music, tech, hipster-dom and entertainment have now played host to a who’s who of presidential candidates and newly minted political stars. Here’s everything that’s happened so far, why it matters and what to expect. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was greeted like a rock star. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) had one of the most well-attended events of the early portion of SXSW, according to media reports. The first-year congresswoman spoke at length about her support for Democratic socialism and said she wasn’t interested in taking “baby steps” when it came to policy ideas. “We view ambition as youthful naiveté when… the greatest things we have ever accomplished as a society have been ambitious acts of vision,” Ocasio-Cortez said at an event Saturday. “The ‘meh’ is worshipped now. For what? Like, for what?”

.@AOC’s critique of “moderates” is spot on.



Moderates are more naive than the visionaries if they think tinkering around the edges will solve systemic problems in our democracy and economy.



It’s time to rewrite the social contract, not manage decline.pic.twitter.com/3Xhd3R1WYK — Waleed Shahid (@_waleedshahid) March 9, 2019

Ocasio-Cortez also had a surprise appearance with Bill Nye the Science Guy, who took to Twitter to praise the representative for her work on ambitious climate legislation. “AOC gets it,” Nye wrote on social media. “She sees that fear is dividing us. We can address income inequality. We can address climate change, if we get together and get to work.” Stacey Abrams hinted at her political future. Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams may have narrowly lost her race in November, but the Democrat has emerged as a political force. Shortly after a discussion with PBS “NewsHour” reporter Yamiche Alcindor, in which Abrams suggested that the earliest she’d consider running for president was 2028, the lawmaker clarified her remarks to say that timeline had dramatically moved forward. “Life comes at you fast,” Abrams wrote on Twitter later Monday. “Now 2020 is definitely on the table.”

In #LeadFromTheOutside, I explore how to be intentional about plans, but flexible enough to adapt. 20 years ago, I never thought I’d be ready to run for POTUS before 2028. But life comes at you fast - as I shared in Q&A w @Yamiche at @sxsw. Now 2020 is definitely on the table... — Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) March 11, 2019

Curious why I think FB has too much power? Let's start with their ability to shut down a debate over whether FB has too much power. Thanks for restoring my posts. But I want a social media marketplace that isn't dominated by a single censor. #BreakUpBigTechhttps://t.co/UPS6dozOxn — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) March 11, 2019

Beto O’Rourke watched a documentary of himself. Potential Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke was in Austin to watch the premiere of a film about his popular but unsuccessful bid to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in last year’s election. O’Rouke received a standing ovation at the screening of “Running With Beto” and addressed the historic nature of his campaign, but he failed to nail down any firm pledges on 2020. “There are so many candidacies, so many leaders,” O’Rourke said. “We got to be part of this amazing thing in Texas over the last two years, and it continues.” The Houston Chronicle noted the former congressman said he wished he “had more to give” reporters about his 2020 prospects. “I want to make sure I do it the right way. I’ve got to be on the timeline that works for my family and for the country.”

Massive standing ovation for Beto O’Rourke & his family following the premiere of #RunningWithBeto. Rowdy, passionate & super emotional screening of a doc that above all else proves it’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, it’s about the size of the fight in the dog#SXSWpic.twitter.com/Se7wnPNE8P — Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) March 9, 2019