As the race for key demographics heats up between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, the Catholic vote seems to be leaning towards the latter. According to a survey by the National Catholic Reporter, Trump leads Harris among Catholic voters in battleground states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, with a margin of 50% to 45%.
Trump narrowly won the Catholic vote nationwide in the 2020 election, edging out President Joe Biden 50% to 49%, as reported by the Pew Research Center. The survey also revealed that Trump has strong support among white Catholics, leading Harris 56% to 40%, while Harris holds a 67% to 28% lead over Trump among Hispanic Catholics.
The Catholic vote is significant in states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Nevada, where Catholics make up a quarter of adults. Both campaigns are actively trying to appeal to this demographic, with Pope Francis expressing concerns about both candidates’ stances on various issues.
While Trump and Harris both identify as Christians, neither claims to be Catholic, with Trump describing himself as nondenominational and Harris as Baptist.