Before Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, here are 5 of the biggest U.S. political upsets

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's defeat of incumbent New York Rep. Joe Crowley has the political world buzzing. But the far from the first time an election has had a surprising result.

We break down five other times in recent history when the winner was unexpected.

1. Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton

We'd be remiss if we didn't note the biggest of the upsets: Donald Trump's defeat of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Prior to announcing his candidacy, he'd never held office. His campaign was filled with gaffes, from critiques of Sen. John McCain to fighting with a Gold Star family. And he had consistently trailed Clinton in the polls. Even as he narrowed the gap in the weeks leading up to Election Day, his victory over Clinton, with an electoral victory of 306-232, still shocked.

2. David Brat vs. Eric Cantor

The closest parallel in recent memory to Ocasio-Cortez's win was David Brat's defeat of then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor back in the 2014 primary. Cantor, who had represented Virginia's 7th congressional district for 13 years and had risen to the No. 2 spot in GOP leadership, lost to the Tea Party candidate. It was the first time a sitting House majority leader had lost a primary since 1899.

3. Doug Jones vs. Roy Moore

Perhaps Doug Jones' victory in Alabama wasn't hard to see coming. After all, Roy Moore, a former state Supreme Court justice, had spent about six weeks fending off allegations of sexual misconduct, including accounts that he'd pursued romantic relationships with teenagers while he was in his 30s. Still, Jones' win in December was far from certain, given that Alabama was a ruby red state that hadn't elected a Democratic senator in 25 years.

4. Scott Brown vs. Martha Coakley

When Sen. Ted Kennedy died in 2009, the Massachusetts seat he had held for nearly 47 years was widely expected to stay in Democratic hands. But Republican Scott Brown proved that assumption wrong when he defeated then-state Attorney General Martha Coakley in a 2010 special election. Brown's win led to an end of a Democratic supermajority in the Senate, allowing Republicans to filibuster.

5. Lisa Murkowski vs. Joe Miller

Lisa Murkowski had served as one of Alaska's senators for more than seven years when she suffered a defeat from challenger Joe Miller in the 2010 primary. But instead of going down as an establishment Republican in an electoral year defined by the Tea Party, Murkowski staged a comeback by waging a write-in campaign. She became the first senator to win by write-in since 1954.

Bonus: Elizabeth Holtzman vs. Emanuel Celler

The story of Elizabeth Holtzman's defeat of Emanuel Celler might not be as familiar to many Americans as those above. But it serves a perfect prologue to Ocasio-Cortez's victory. Back in 1972, Holtzman unexpectedly defeated Celler in the primary for New York's 16th district. Celler had served in Congress for nearly 50 years and was then the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. At the time, he was the longest serving member in the House. Holtzman later served on the Judiciary Committee during the Watergate scandal. The committee recommended articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon.

WSBTV