Crowley was used up....they just took advantage of it as they are doing in placing their candidates.
Crowley lost because he got complacent, he got fat, and he lost to demographics. I don't care if AOC was helped by Soros or Justice Democrats or other left-wing groups hiding in the background. It is very difficult to beat an incumbent, especially a Democrat, where you normally have to work your way up and be nice to the party bosses.
The point being, is that the new generation of Democrats want Marxism and they want it now. They're not going to hide it under the guise of centrism or moderate and then do the usual two-step of moving the Overton window.