

Bernie Sanders’s political revolution is predicated in part on mobilizing the public to change the direction of the country. Naysayers carp, and not without reason, that this is impossible, with Republicans having a lock on the gerrymandered Congress for the near future. But to change that state of affairs, you need Sanders Democrats—progressive leaders willing to compete for marginal seats and battle from inside the Capitol Building.

The army is out there. This past week, I interviewed three candidates for Congress, all running in seats currently held by Republicans, who have endorsed Bernie Sanders. They may not all win­—some might not even represent the Democrats in the general election—but they exemplify a new energy in the party, expressing pride in liberal ideas instead of fleeing from them, ready to work the levers of the system to achieve progress wherever possible. The greatest gift Sanders—the longtime independent—has given to the Democratic Party is to inspire a progressive revolution from within.

Zephyr Teachout went from an unassuming law professor to a political rock star when she challenged New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary in 2014, faring better than anyone expected. Now she’s running for Congress upstate in the 19th Congressional District, an open-seat swing district where she beat Cuomo in all but one county, typically by a wide margin. Within a week of announcing her candidacy on January 25, Teachout attracted more than 3,000 donors and took in close to $100,000 in contributions, a signal of her continuing grassroots strength.

The low-dollar surge isn’t just an election strategy, but a commitment: Removing big money from politics is one of Teachout’s top issues. In fact, she highlights corporate concentration of power as the primary economic and political problem. “In the conversations I’ve had, people don’t love big cable companies, they don’t love big banks,” Teachout says. “People know something is deeply wrong, and they’re open to all kinds of different solutions.”

Teachout believes she can connect workers, small businesses, and small farmers (who have experienced a collapse in this part of New York) to build a coalition that fights for more decentralized power by reviving antitrust policy, restricting high-risk trading by deposit-taking banks, and enacting public financing of elections. And Sanders’s focus on big ideas, giving voice to longstanding frustrations with the current system, makes it easier for Teachout’s platform to resonate. “People understand Washington is pretty broken, and they are well aware of the challenges facing a congressperson,” she says, suggesting that supporters will give her plenty of slack if she’s elected. But Teachout believes she can use a congressional seat as an organizing tool to give voice to real concerns in the country. The key, she says, lies in preparing a suite of ideas in advance, and making the most of legislative opportunities.