Thinking about running for congress? She already is running. That's why she's jumped into the limelight - by beating her primary Democrat opponent.
She's popular now because she's the new flavor of the month at a time when Democrats were relatively flavorless. She gives a voice to the more extreme, la-la wing of the Democratic Party, so naturally leftists have fallen in love with her in the same way they fell in love with Bernie.
IMO, the more she becomes the face of the Democratic Party, the better it is for conservatives. You pointed out that she clearly doesn't know the issues. Most voters nationwide will see through this, and even if they don't disagree with her on every issue, they'll still recognize in her a heavy dose of naive idealism.