I read several Sinclair Lewis works in college and they seemed shallow and preachy, which may have been because I was already familiar with their premises; and my taste in fiction evolved after college to favor hard boiled detective novels and Patrick O'Brien's series.
But Babbitt is the perfect example of the pompous politician cum social leader, a true champion of the working class.
My favorite Lewis work is "It Can't Happen Here."
Second is "Kingsblood Royal."