The news media sure does love their end of year lists, the latest coming from Salon, which picks 2013's "5 Biggest Political Heroes": Wendy Davis, Pope Francis, Bill de Blasio, Elizabeth Warren, and Kshama Sawant!

The avowed socialist's surprise election to Seattle's City Council cheered leftists throughout the country. It also seemed to prove that in the wake of the financial crisis and the meager recovery, many Americans were willing to listen to voices once barred from the political mainstream. Thus far, Sawant hasn't disappointed and has advocated tirelessly for a $15 minimum wage and for worker democracy at the city's Boeing plants.

Yeah, thats right—Sawant and Pope Francis mentioned in the same breath. That's some company she's keeping in terms of profile.