Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the best-known congressional freshman since Hillary Clinton

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Not everyone knows Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-N.Y.) name yet, but she's surely headed in that direction.

The Bronx-born congressmember shattered expectations when she beat a longstanding incumbent in last June's primary, leading half of Americans to say they knew who she was by September, a Gallup poll at the time showed. Now, Gallup says 71 percent of Americans are aware of Ocasio-Cortez, putting her in pretty rare company for a House member who's only been on the job for two months.

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Yet while Gingrich had to claim higher office to get noticed, Ocasio-Cortez only had to get elected. Some senators also had surprisingly high name recognition when they started their jobs — Gallup specifically cites Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). But even they didn't reach Ocasio-Cortez's level. In fact, only then-Sen. Hillary Clinton has been better known than Ocasio-Cortez just two months after a congressional election, Gallup says — and she had a stint in the East Wing to thank.

The poll surveyed 1,932 adults by phone from Feb. 12-28, with at least 70 percent surveyed via cell phone. It has a 3 percent margin of error.

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.