Zohran Mamdani’s populist victory in New York’s mayoral primary is a local tremor signaling a national earthquake. While pundits dissect the political implications, it’s important not to miss the signs of a deeper societal dynamic, one articulated with stark clarity by Mamdani’s fellow democratic socialist Bernie Sanders: “Take on the billionaire class. Take on the oligarchy. That’s how you win elections.”

This sentiment is not confined to the left, and the strategy doesn’t work only in New York. Populists on the right and in blue but smaller cities echo a similar formula, railing against a “cosmopolitan elite” and the “party of Davos,” who they argue have globalized the economy to their own benefit while leaving communities behind.

If Americans are divided on social issues, they are inc

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