Polling shows importance of the Catholic vote in 2024 presidential race

[Craig Nigrelli]

TONIGHT IS A BIG NIGHT IN NEW YORK FOR CATHOLICS AND POLITICS.  IT’S THE ANNUAL,  AL SMITH DINNER TO BENEFIT CATHOLIC CHARITIES.  IT HAS ALSO BEEN  A TRADITION FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TO ATTEND DURING ELECTION YEARS.  

FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WILL BE THERE. VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS WILL NOT.  HER CAMPAIGN HAS SAID SHE HAS A SCHEDULING CONFLICT.   HARRIS INSTEAD WILL BE CAMPAIGNING IN WISCONSIN.  THE ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK, CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN, HAS CRITICIZED HARRIS FOR NOT ATTENDING. 

CATHOLICS MAKE UP A LARGE VOTING BLOCK IN THE COUNTRY AND WILL LIKELY BE KEY IN THE SWING STATES.   A NEW POLL OUT THIS WEEK, FROM THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER,  HAS DONALD TRUMP WITH A FIVE POINT LEAD OVER HARRIS 50% TO 45%.  THE SURVEY COMES FROM NEARLY 12-HUNDRED CATHOLICS IN ARIZONA, GEORGIA, MICHIGAN, NEVADA, NORTH CAROLINA, PENNSYLVANIA AND WISCONSIN.  THREE OUT OF FOUR VOTERS IN THAT SAME POLL SAID THE ECONOMY IS THEIR MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE.    IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER CAME IN AT NUMBER TWO, WITH ABORTION/REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AS THE 8TH MOST IMPORTANT. 

A POLL, RELEASED IN SEPTEMBER BY  PEW RESEARCH, HAD TRUMP AHEAD OF HARRIS, 52% TO 47% NATIONALLY AMONG CATHOLIC VOTERS.   THAT WOULD BE A FLIP FOR TRUMP.  PEW RESEARCH FOUND THAT IS 2020,  JOE BIDEN, WHO IS CATHOLIC,  NARROWLY WON THE CATHOLIC VOTE, OVER TRUMP, BY JUST ONE PERCENTAGE POINT. 

THE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, POPE FRANCIS, RAISED SOME EYEBROWS, WHEN HE WEIGHED IN ON THE AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL RACE SAYING VOTERS MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS :THE PONTIFF CALLED BOTH DONALD TRUMP AND KAMALA HARRIS – AGAINST LIFE – CITING TRUMP’S POLICIES ON IMMIGRATION AND HARRIS’ VIEWS ON ABORTION RIGHTS. AND HE URGED CATHOLICS TO VOTE THEIR CONSCIENCE.     I’M CRAIG NIGRELLI. FOR MORE UNBIASED UPDATES, DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP