Donald Trump famously said that he loved the poorly educated. They returned the favor; surveys taken after the election indicated that they voted overwhelmingly for him.
This phenomenon is not limited to Trump. In Florida, it was common during the campaign to see commercials featuring GOP candidates talking up shop class and disparaging elitists who think everyone should go to college. Given that Republicans control all of state government, and most local governments, the theme seemed ridiculous, but it was an effort to show working people that they, and not the snooty Democrats, understand them and their values.
So how do the Democrats deal with this? The obvious answer is to avoid condescending to unskilled workers, but the fact is that most Democratic candidates don’t do that, anyway. Just try not to provide any ammunition on this point and point out that most of the GOP candidates portraying themselves as proud supporters of shop class are actually wealthy college graduates.