On September 1, democratic socialist Erika Uyterhoeven won a contested state-representative primary in Massachusetts’ 27th Middlesex district. Running on a platform of a state-level Green New Deal, free public transportation, and affordable housing for all, and with no opponent in November’s general election, Uyterhoeven has a clear path to elected office. She is part of a growing wave of congressional, state, and municipal-level victories pointing toward a new democratic socialist electoral strategy after Bernie Sanders.

Uyterhoeven is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), endorsed by its Boston chapter. But her campaign was also backed by a coalition of labor unions, environmental justice organizations, and community groups. She was able to create a massive volunteer operation and mobilize her district’s voters to achieve a landslide victory.

In this interview, Uyterhoeven discusses the lessons she learned from the Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn campaigns, the myth of Massachusetts’ liberal image, and how she’s going to push for the working class in the notoriously nontransparent Massachusetts State House. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.