The working class didn't fall for Zohran, college grads did. 57% of New Yorkers with a bachelor's degree or higher supported Mamdani, compared with only 39% of working class voters.

Education, more than income, signals class because it shapes habits, networks, and outlook long after the degree is earned. Higher education encodes cultural capital: speech patterns, tastes, opinions, and expectations about life. Income can fluctuate across a lifetime; the worldview forged in selective institutions does not. By that standard, college college graduates—regardless of earnings—are not working class.