The Catholic Vote

In 2004 Catholic voters did what not long before would have been considered political heresy: They supported a Republican for president over a Democrat, and an evangelical Protestant, no less, over the first Catholic presidential nominee since John F. Kennedy in 1960. Moreover, Catholics' preference for George W. Bush over John Kerry - 52 percent to 47 percent -- was bigger in key electoral states, such as Florida and Ohio, which have large Catholic populations and provided the Electoral College margin for Bush's victory.

It was this vote that proved Catholics would not just blindly vote for anyone claiming be Catholic as John Kerry did, but really do consider character and morals in making a voting decision.

To many, the 2004 election signaled a fundamental realignment in national politics. However, since 2004 many Republicans have not delivered on the promises they made. Promises of health care reform, permanant tax cuts, immigration reform, a real fix for social security, etc.

So now, Catholics appear to be swinging back to their traditional home in the Democratic Party. A Gallup Poll in June 2006 showed Catholics backing Democrats by an 11-point margin, reinforcing the view of Catholics as the ultimate "swing vote" among American religious blocs.

That could be bad news for the GOP. Often much time and energy is spent on courting the evangelical protestant sector and that leaves Catholic voters wondering of their vote matters?

The truth is, if one wants to win an election, that person had better talk to Catholics. With nearly 70 million baptized members, American Catholics are the largest denomination in the United States and the largest religious voting bloc, at 27 percent of the electorate.

Catholics vote at a higher rate than most other religious groups and a slightly higher rate (by 4 percentage points) than Protestants, according to the late William B. Prendergast, author of The Catholic Voter in American Politics: The Passing of the Democratic Monolith.

Catholics are concentrated in the states with the most electoral votes - California, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan, for example. That gives them political clout in Congress and in presidential politics.

Political experts say that Catholic voters have assimilated to the point that they tend to be governed in their voting preferences by the same pocketbook and security issues that affect all voters. But there are at least two hot-button issues that can have a larger impact on Catholic opinions than they would on other religious communities: immigration and abortion.

It is high time that both politicans and Catholics wake up to the fact that if we take an active roll and get out to vote our beliefs, Catholic morals and values would be the rule of the land. We have to power to demand a real change in this nation. A change I hope most other Christians would support.