Let’s face it: Bernie Sanders should not have done nearly as well as he did in Iowa. Before this race, he wasn’t particularly well-known nationally. He represented a tiny state that hasn’t played much of a part in national politics. He’s a self-avowed socialist, which is a strangely toxic word in American politics. He was facing the Democratic establishment personified in Hillary Clinton. And yet, here we are. He didn’t necessarily “win” Iowa, he fought Clinton to a draw in a state where he was being outpolled by as much as 54 points last May.

Really think about that for a minute: A relative outsider forced one of the most powerful forces in America to a draw. Conventional wisdom says he should’ve been wiped out.

There are plenty of ways Sanders did this. For one, he got us, the young voters, fired up. He didn’t do so by getting Lena Dunham to run his campaign’s Instagram or trying to force memes. What many people don’t understand is that enthusiasm is viral. Think about it this way: you hear about this awesome show on Netflix from a friend of yours. She’s super pumped about it, praising its story or characters or whatever, and so she invites you and some other friends over to watch an episode. You like seeing them, so you go over and watch the episode. Then another, and another. Soon you’re as excited as she is, and you start spreading it to your friends, and the cycle continues from there.

Something else contagious helping Sanders? Outrage. American progressives are pretty angry at the industrial-political complex built up over the years, solidified by Citizens United. They see the massive swell in income inequality, mass fraud on a supposedly better Wall Street, and racial and gender disparities made painfully clear. They don’t like it at all. They’re motivated to see real systemic changes to benefit everybody. They spread the word in-person and online. They’ll get people to vote, often performing ancillary services like voter registration and shuttling to polling places.

I think the reason behind Sanders’ surge lies in one of the most tired clichés in American Progressivism: They have more money, we have more votes. The Citizens United case may have released the floodgates of campaign cash, especially towards established candidates, but victory comes from shaking hands with so many people your hands are sore for a year after. Clinton may have the largest war chest and insider connections, but Sanders has the hearts of the people because the establishment hasn’t really done much for them at large.

The best example of the Clinton model I can think of comes from Hamilton, the hottest thing on Broadway since the invention of neon lights. Aaron Burr’s philosophy in “The Election of 1800” number goes thusly: “Talk Less!/Smile more!/(Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for.)/Shake hands with him!/Charm Her!/It’s 1800. Ladies, tell your husbands vote for Burr!” Despite knowing Burr longer, Hamilton endorses Thomas Jefferson instead, even though he’s been at odds with him throughout the play. Why? “Because when all is said and all is done/Jefferson has beliefs/Burr has none.”

This election is huge. The winner will shape how America operates for at least a few decades. Sanders, to me at least, is the candidate to support. The fact is that no major candidate, on either side, gets what’s happening in America like Sanders. Xenophobia, bigotry, and current capitalism will not make America great. Truly universal health care, cracking down on income inequality and white collar crime and investing in education and infrastructure will.

The Minnesota Caucuses will be on March 1st. I know that I will be voting and who I will be voting for. If you disagree with me and support another candidate, that is perfectly fine. All I ask is that you vote if you can. Because, as the saying in my house goes, “If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.”