Joshua Bennett
The political leanings of Catholic leaders in the United States have been a topic of interest, especially with the diverse range of political opinions among American Catholics. While Catholic leaders cannot dictate who Catholics vote for, they do have a significant influence on their congregations. Since the 1960s, the Catholic vote has become bipartisan, with a shift in support from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party among some Catholics. This shift is influenced by policy issues such as abortion, where Catholic Democrats and Republicans hold opposing views despite the Catholic Church's formal opposition to abortion. Ethnic and racial identities also play a role, with non-Hispanic white Catholics leaning Republican and Hispanic or Latino Catholics voting Democrat.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Catholic leaders' leanings in the 1800s | Democrats |
| Catholic leaders' leanings since the 1960s | Republicans |
| Catholic leaders' leanings since the 1970s | Non-Hispanic white Catholics: Republicans; Hispanic/Latino Catholics: Democrats |
| Catholic leaders' leanings in 2018 and 2019 | 48% Republicans; 47% Democrats |
| Catholic leaders' leanings in 2020 | 57% Republicans; 41% Democrats |
| Catholic leaders' leanings on abortion | 77% of Democrats say legal; 63% of Republicans say illegal |
| Catholic leaders' leanings on immigration | 91% of Democrats oppose the wall; 81% of Republicans support the wall |
| Catholic leaders' perception of Biden's religiousness | 72% of Democrats say he is religious; 46% of Republicans say he is religious |
| Catholic leaders' perception of Trump's religiousness | 10% of Democrats say he is religious; 63% of Republicans say he is religious |
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What You'll Learn
- Catholic voters are split between Democrats and Republicans
- Catholic leaders have a substantial influence on their followers' votes
- Catholics' views on abortion differ from the Catholic Church's stance
- Catholics' political views are divided along ethnic and racial lines
- Catholics are disillusioned with both parties and want a third option
Catholic voters are split between Democrats and Republicans
Catholic voters in the United States are split between Democrats and Republicans, with the Catholic vote becoming increasingly bipartisan since the 1960s.
During the 1960s and early 1970s, a significant number of Catholics abandoned their traditional affiliation with the Democratic Party, shifting their support to the Republican Party. This shift is evident in the voting patterns of the 1968 and 1972 elections, where Nixon received 33% of the Catholic vote in 1968, which increased to 52% in 1972. This change transformed the Catholic community into one of the nation's largest swing groups, with both parties actively courting Catholic voters.
In recent years, the Catholic vote has continued to be divided between the two major parties. According to Pew Research Center polls from 2018 and 2019, around half of Catholic registered voters (48%) identify as Republicans or lean Republican, while a similar proportion (47%) align with the Democratic Party. This trend was also observed in the 2016 presidential election, where 52% of Catholics supported Republican Donald Trump, and 44% voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The political leanings of Catholic voters also vary depending on their racial and ethnic backgrounds. White Catholic registered voters tend to lean towards the Republican Party, with 57% identifying as Republicans or holding Republican-leaning views. In contrast, most Hispanic Catholic voters (68%) identify as Democrats or lean Democratic, a trend that has been consistent over the past decade.
Despite the split between Democrats and Republicans among Catholic voters, their views on specific policy issues may be influenced more by their political affiliation than the teachings of the Catholic Church. For example, on the issue of abortion, Catholic Democrats and Catholic Republicans hold opposing views, with the former largely supporting legal access to abortion, while the latter largely opposes it. Similarly, on the topic of immigration, Catholic Democrats overwhelmingly oppose expanding the wall along the US-Mexico border, while Catholic Republicans largely favor its expansion.
In conclusion, Catholic voters in the United States are divided in their political affiliations, with a significant portion identifying as Democrats or Republicans. Their votes are sought after by both parties, and their policy positions are often influenced by their political leanings, resulting in a complex and dynamic political landscape within the Catholic community.
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Catholic leaders have a substantial influence on their followers' votes
Since the 1960s, the Catholic vote in the United States has become bipartisan, with Catholics abandoning their traditional affiliation with the Democratic Party and moving towards the Republican Party. This shift is evidenced by the Catholic vote in the 1968 and 1972 elections, where Nixon received 33% of the Catholic vote in 1968, and 52% in 1972. As a group, Catholics represented a quarter of the nation's electorate and were now one of the nation's largest swing groups.
While the Catholic Church hierarchy cannot dictate who Catholics vote for, they do have a substantial influence over the faithful in their dioceses. Politicians are aware that Catholic leaders, such as bishops, can direct significant time, energy, and money to support the issues that are important to them. From their perspective, the bishops are eager to regain some of the influence that their predecessors had in the earlier part of the 20th century.
Catholics are often more aligned with their political party than with the teachings of their church on specific policy issues. For example, on abortion, 77% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning Catholic adults say they think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 63% of Republican and Republican-leaning Catholics say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, despite the Catholic Church’s formal opposition to abortion. On immigration, 91% of Catholic Democrats oppose expanding the wall along the US-Mexico border, while 81% of Catholic Republicans favor expanding the wall. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops and Pope Francis have condemned Trump’s plan to build such a wall, with the Pope describing the desire to build a border wall as “not Christian.”.
The Catholic vote in the United States is also influenced by the race and ethnicity of the candidates. White and Hispanic Catholics are very different politically. Nearly six-in-ten White Catholic registered voters (57%) identify with or lean toward the Republican Party, marking a big shift since 2008, when four-in-ten (41%) supported the GOP. Most Hispanic Catholic voters (68%), meanwhile, identify as Democrats or lean Democratic, a share that has remained fairly stable in the past decade. In the 2016 election, 64% of White Catholics voted for Trump, while 78% of Hispanic Catholics voted for Clinton.
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Catholics' views on abortion differ from the Catholic Church's stance
The Catholic Church has long been one of the foremost opponents of legal abortion, teaching that human life is sacred "from conception to natural death" and that unborn children have a "right to life". The Church has affirmed the moral evil of procured abortion since the first century, and this teaching has not changed. Canon 1397 §2 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law imposes automatic excommunication on Latin Catholics who procure an abortion.
However, the abortion issue is not so clear-cut for US Catholics. Like the American public as a whole, most Catholics think abortion should be illegal in some cases but legal in others. Catholics who attend Mass regularly are among the country's strongest opponents of legal abortion, and they are more likely to believe that life begins at conception and that a fetus has rights. On the other hand, Catholics who do not attend Mass weekly are more likely to support abortion rights.
A 2019 survey found that 77% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning Catholic adults say they think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 63% of Republican and Republican-leaning Catholics say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. Catholic women are more likely than Catholic men to support abortion rights.
The divide among Catholics on abortion exists despite the Catholic Church’s formal opposition to abortion. This is not surprising, given that US Catholics have diverse political opinions and that both major political parties have policies that contradict Catholic teachings on abortion, poverty, immigration, and other issues. Since the 1960s, the Catholic vote has become bipartisan, with Catholics comprising one of the nation's largest swing groups.
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Catholics' political views are divided along ethnic and racial lines
Catholics in the United States, who make up around one-fifth of the population, hold a diverse range of political opinions, and their political views are divided along ethnic and racial lines. While Catholic voters cannot be dictated to by the Church hierarchy, the bishops do exert a substantial influence on the faithful in their dioceses.
Historically, Catholics in America were predominantly urban, with both leaders and congregants usually from the laboring classes. From the onset of significant immigration in the 1840s, nativism, anti-Catholicism, and anti-unionism coalesced in Republican elections, pushing Catholics toward the Democratic Party. Since the 1960s, however, the Catholic vote has become bipartisan. This shift is illustrated by Nixon's increased share of the Catholic vote in the 1968 and 1972 elections.
Since the 1970s, non-Hispanic white Catholics have reliably voted for Republican candidates, while a majority of Hispanic or Latino Catholics have supported Democrats. In the 1980 election, Ronald Reagan won about half of the Catholic vote, with a majority of his Catholic supporters being non-Hispanic whites. This group, often referred to as "Reagan Democrats," formed an important part of his support base. Despite these shifts, a majority of Catholics remained Democrats in 1984.
In more recent elections, the Catholic vote has continued to reflect divisions along racial and ethnic lines. In 2008, Catholics chose Democrat Barack Obama over Republican John McCain by a margin of 54% to 45%. In 2012, Catholic voters were almost evenly split between Obama and his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney. According to data from 2018 and 2019, 57% of White Catholic registered voters identify with or lean toward the Republican Party, while 68% of Hispanic Catholic voters lean Democratic.
Catholics' views on specific policy issues, such as abortion and immigration, often align more with their political party than with the teachings of the Catholic Church. For example, a 2019 survey found that 77% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning Catholic adults believed abortion should be legal in most or all cases, while 63% of Republican and Republican-leaning Catholics held the opposing view. On immigration, 91% of Catholic Democrats opposed expanding the wall along the US-Mexico border, while 81% of Catholic Republicans favored its expansion.
While the Catholic Church has formally opposed abortion and Pope Francis has described the desire to build a border wall as "not Christian", Catholic voters' positions on these issues are influenced by their political affiliations. These divisions highlight how Catholic political views in the United States are shaped by ethnic and racial identities, with White Catholics generally leaning Republican and Hispanic Catholics tending toward the Democratic Party.
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Catholics are disillusioned with both parties and want a third option
Catholics in the United States are split down the middle politically, with almost half identifying as or leaning towards the Republican Party, and the other half identifying as or leaning towards the Democratic Party. Race and ethnicity further divide this picture: most Hispanic Catholic voters identify as Democrats, while non-Hispanic white Catholics tend to vote Republican.
However, both parties endorse policies that contradict Catholic teachings on abortion, poverty, immigration, war, and peace, or other issues of life and justice. This has led to Catholics becoming disillusioned with both parties and considering a third option.
Historically, Catholics were aligned with the Democratic Party. Since the 1960s, however, the Catholic vote has become bipartisan, with the rise of a new kind of Democrat: wealthy, secular, and ideological. This shift is evidenced by the fact that Nixon received 33% of the Catholic vote in the 1968 election, which increased to 52% in 1972.
The Catholic Church itself has also played a prominent role in shaping America's labor movement. From the onset of significant immigration in the 1840s, the church in the United States was predominantly urban, with both its leaders and congregants usually of the laboring classes. Over time, nativism, anti-Catholicism, and anti-unionism became associated with the Republican Party, pushing Catholics towards the Democratic Party.
Today, Catholics are divided on whether contemporary American culture and politics represent a threat to the church. One of the most contentious issues is the alleged political weaponization of religion and religious liberty. While the Catholic Church has taken a clear stance on certain issues, such as abortion and birth control, Catholic voters often align themselves with their political parties rather than the teachings of their church.
The idea of a third party based on Catholic social teaching has been proposed, but it faces significant challenges. Building a new political party requires overcoming inertia and making difficult decisions about leadership, voters, and infrastructure. Additionally, it is unclear how a third party would compete in a two-party political system.
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Frequently asked questions
Catholic leaders' political leanings are diverse and complex. While there is no single "Catholic vote", Catholic leaders and voters can be found in both the Democratic and Republican parties. Since the 1970s, non-Hispanic white Catholics have tended to vote Republican, while Hispanic or Latino Catholics have largely voted Democrat.
The Catholic vote in the United States has shifted between the two major parties over the decades. In the 1960s and early 1970s, many Catholics abandoned the Democratic Party and began supporting the Republican Party. This shift was influenced by the rise of a new type of Democrat: wealthy, secular, and ideological. Since then, Catholic voters have become more evenly divided, with some Catholics expressing disillusionment with both parties.
Catholic voters, including leaders, consider a range of factors when making political decisions. They may be influenced by their religious beliefs, personal values, and specific policy issues. On certain topics, such as abortion and immigration, Catholics may align more with their political party than with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Additionally, Catholic voters can be ""cross-pressured," pulled toward the Democrats on social justice and workers' rights while leaning toward the Republicans on family and cultural values.
