I'm trying to see who among the left wing crowd will admit that AOC being a young, good looking woman had at least something to do with her rise to her current position in the democrat party.

In politics, it is always better to be good looking than not. Being good looking is always somewhat an advantage. As is being tall.

So just like the fact that DJT is tall had at least something to do with his rise to his current position in the Republican Party, AOC being good looking had something to do with her rise in the Democratic Party.

So far no takers, which means you all believe that she has tons 'o skillz.

She clearly has tons 'o skillz. You don't knock off a well-funded veteran incumbent Congressman (and Chairman of your party's Caucus to boot) without having some mad skillz. She ran an incredible ground game, some of the best canvassing and organizing the district had ever seen, had the best social media and online presence of any candidate of that time, worked her (limited!) endorsements perfectly, and controlled the issue salience in the primary entirely to her benefit.

The fact that she's been able to maintain and even increase her prominence even after that race - despite unseating a powerful and popular incumbent and facing the inevitable tension between a progressive base and more centrist leadership - speaks to even more political savvy.

So, yeah. She's got tons 'o skillz.