Amid their soul-searching moment, Democrats are infatuated with a new wave of “working class” and democratic socialist candidates. They hope the strategy can make inroads with working-class voters, a group with whom they’ve struggled historically.

It isn't having the intended effect.

Elite left-wing strategists are using working-class messaging but they're appealing to other elites, not necessarily to the actual working-class people who are the subject of the branding. Highly educated voters support these candidates as a form of virtue signaling, while actual working-class voters see through the mirage.

You might think Democratic elites are putting on this working-class performance to appeal to working-class voters. But those voters aren't buying what Democrats are selling.

The 'working class' movement comes from the Democratic Party's elite

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York City, which kicked off this new wave of progressive candidates, was championed by his campaign and its progressive allies as a win for the working class.

The data tells another story. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo dominated among voters without an associate degree and took half of those with one, while Mamdani dominated among voters with bachelor's or advanced degrees.

Even Mamdani himself struggles to define what “the working class” actually means. Under the vague definition he offered in a recent interview, New Yorkers making upwards of $1 million a year might qualify – lumping Manhattan lawyers in with those........

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