Look up Jerry Falwell and his 'Moral Majority.'

Falwell was a TV preacher who decided he wanted to get into politics. He had a simple formula to take over the GOP. The Party depends on small local clubs to do all the little things like getting petitions signed and driving folks to the polls on election day. Those clubs pick local office holders like sheriffs and county clerks.

Falwell told his people to show up at those clubs whenever there was a decision to be voted on. If there'd been twenty folks there for the last vote, Falwell's 'Moral Majority' would show up with fifty. Pretty soon Jerry had a lot of local folks in his pocket. Those soon became Congressmembers and Governors.

AOC did it in one Congressioal district.