ocasio-cortez began her campaign in april 2017. at the time, she was working at flats fix, a taco restaurant in new york city's union square. her campaign was small. she was the first person to run in the primary against joe crowley, the democratic caucus chair. she did not have much money for the campaign. she said that candidates like here must have very new and different kinds of campaigns and cannot win just by spending more money ocasio-cortez's campaign did not take money from big companies or rich people. she did this because it was how bernie sanders's presidential campaign did it. revolutionary posters from the past inspired her campaign posters.