Catholics Becoming More Divided In Presidential Elections, Bergen Record Reports

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 23 Oct 2008 - 5:00 PST

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With two weeks left in the presidential campaign, neither Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) nor Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) likely "has a lock on the Catholic vote," which represents about 25% of the electorate and has become increasingly divided over presidential politics, particularly because of abortion rights, the Bergen Record reports. According to the Record, although Catholics once were a reliable part of the Democratic Party's base, the emergence of abortion rights, among other issues, has altered that political alignment. However, while many Catholics vote Republican because of the party's support for overturning Roe v. Wade, others vote Democratic because they agree with the party's positions on the economy, war and immigration.

The Record reports that the contrast between Catholic voting patterns and those of other religious groups particularly was evident in 2004, when Catholics were more closely divided than Jews, Muslims and Protestant evangelicals. According to exit polling data published by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 52% of Catholics voted for President Bush in 2004 and 47% voted for then-Democratic Presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry (Mass.). However, a series of polls by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press have found that the Catholic vote is in flux, especially among white Catholics, with McCain leading Obama by seven percentage points in mid-September and widening to 13 points by the end of the month. In October, however, Obama was leading among white Catholics by 15 points and among all Catholics by 20 points. John Green, a senior fellow with the Pew Forum, said the changes could be the result of many factors, including statistical and technical issues. Nevertheless, Green said that Catholic lay groups are extremely engaged in the election, with groups supporting both candidates working to sway Catholic voters. "It's pretty intense," Green said, adding, "It seems there is an effort by groups on both sides to mobilize Catholic voters."

The Record also profiled a recent panel of four Catholics that took place in Glen Rock, N.J., and examined whether Catholics are obligated to vote for antiabortion candidates (Chadwick, Bergen Record, 10/21).

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