Catholic Voters In Battleground States Favor GOP In Upcoming Midterms, Poll Finds
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A majority of Catholic voters in six key battleground states say they plan to vote for Republican candidates in the upcoming midterm elections, a new poll released Tuesday revealed.
The EWTN/RealClear Opinion Research poll — the third and final in a series of surveys this election season commissioned by the Catholic news organization — has offered up a snapshot of Catholic views on a series of political, cultural, religious and social issues this election season.
A majority of voters (63%) of the states surveyed — which included Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada — listed the economy, jobs, inflation and rising interest rates as their top concerns.
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At the same time, the poll found that a majority of Catholic voters in each state disapproved of President Joe Biden's job performance, a factor that could be driving support in favor of the GOP.
Biden, only the second Catholic president in U.S. history since John F. Kennedy became the very first in 1960, has seen sagging approval ratings among all Americans in recent months.
“As we approach the final weeks of the 2022 midterm elections, the views of Catholic voters in these pivotal six swing states are coming more into focus," said Dr. Matthew Bunson, who serves as executive editor of EWTN News. "Not only does the EWTN/Real Clear Opinion Research poll show general dissatisfaction with President Biden, which appears to be influencing each state's respective Senate and gubernatorial races, but it shows that the main issue driving Catholic voters are, by and large, related to the economic uncertainty so many are experiencing.”
The survey comes two weeks before voters cast ballots on Nov. 8 in the midterm elections that could tilt the balance of power in the Senate and House of Representatives from Democrats to Republicans.
This latest EWTN/RealClear Opinion Research poll reflects the trends seen across the electorate in a number of recent surveys, leading many observers to speculate that there will be a “red wave” that will sweep Republicans into power.
“We thought for a little bit that we could defy gravity, but the reality is setting in,” said Sean McElwee — executive director of Data for Progress, a progressive research and polling firm — to The New York Times.
Catholic voters, whether they attend Mass daily, every Sunday or just a few times a year, remain an influential voting bloc. They helped elect Biden to the White House in 2020, but the midterms could register a shift against the president.
While Democrats have run largely on the abortion issue following this past summer’s Supreme Court decision that rolled back Roe v. Wade, Republicans have made the economy — primarily inflation and other pocket-book issues — their main campaign theme.
The EWTN/RealClear Opinion Research poll found that Catholic voters agreed with Republicans that the economy is the bigger issue.
As a result, In each state where voters were polled, a majority of likely Catholic voters supported the Republican candidates for both Senate and governor. The only exception was Pennsylvania, where 50.8% said they would vote for gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro over challenger Doug Mastriano.
A majority of Catholics polled also responded that they support limiting abortion to 15 weeks or earlier. This comes as Biden vowed that if voters elected more Democratic senators and kept control of the House in his party’s hands that he would send a bill to Congress to codify Roe into law.
The Senate is split 50-50 (with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote), meaning control in the next session is likely to be decided by just a few races.
Nearly 60% of the Catholic voters in the six states polled said the issue of abortion should be determined by elected officials or ballot initiatives.
The poll was conducted from Oct. 14 to 18 of voters in six states who identify as Catholic and say they are likely to cast a ballot in the midterm elections.
Clemente Lisi is a senior editor at Religion Unplugged and teaches journalism at The King’s College in New York City. He is the author of “The FIFA World Cup: A History of the Planet's Biggest Sporting Event.” Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.