I think this is a clear reflection of "wealth disparity" in a place. If most folks are somewhere "in the middle", it's not as strong even if they see very wealthy people around, but if many folks are falling, or feel as if, they view "billionaires" as the enemy and want someone to "do something".
If I'm a poor person scrapping by with rent at 50% of my income living in a not very nice place, I probably am going to resent highly the folks I see waltzing around NYC in luxury, so someone comes along and promises "nirvana", vote for me and I'll tax those greedy bastards and make everything cheaper for you.
