Among several blocs of religious voters, including his loyal evangelical base, Donald Trump did about as well in his victory over Kamala Harris as he did in his loss to Joe Biden four years ago. One notable difference: according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters, he did better this year among Catholic voters.
In 2020, the Catholic electorate — one of the largest religious blocs in the country — was almost evenly split, with 50% supporting Trump and 49% favoring Biden, a longtime member of the faith.
According to VoteCast, 54% of Catholic voters supported Trump and 44% supported Harris this year — a shift that was especially notable in North Carolina, Florida and Texas.
VoteCast documented a racial divide. About 6 in 10 white Catholics supported Trump, and about 4 in 10 supported Harris. In contrast, about 6 in 10 Latino Catholics supported Harris, and about 4 in 10 supported Trump.
Among other groups, VoteCast found that Trump generally fared about the same against Harris as he did against Biden, specifically drawing support from about eight in 10 white evangelical Christians.
Some other findings from VoteCast:
–About 8 in 10 black Protestants supported Harris; 15% supported Trump.
–About 69% of Jewish voters supported Harris; about 30% supported Trump.
–About two-thirds of Muslim voters supported Harris; about a third supported Trump.
–About 6 in 10 Mormons supported Trump; about a third supported Harris.
–About 7 in 10 nonreligious voters supported Harris; about 3 in 10 supported Trump.
During the 2024 campaign, as in other recent national elections, Catholic voters were sharply divided over several volatile social issues. Some conservative Catholics said the Democratic Party’s staunch support for abortion rights was reason enough to oppose Harris; Some more liberal Catholics said Trump’s demonization of immigrants and disinterest in social justice issues made him unworthy of support.
“Work for justice will certainly be necessary,” wrote the Rev. Sam Sawyer, editor-in-chief of the Jesuit news magazine America, in an assessment of the election results.
“Sir. Trump campaigned on the promise of mass deportations, which would tear families apart and destabilize communities across the country,” Sawyer wrote. “Our immigrant brothers and sisters will need voices in their defense, and the Catholic Church especially must be a champion of solidarity with them.”
Kristan Hawkins, a Catholic convert and president of Students for Life of America, said she — like many abortion opponents — was disappointed in Trump’s open preference for state-by-state abortion laws rather than a national ban. Yet she supported him staunchly.
“As a Catholic, I understand that I am not voting for a priest, pope or pastor – I am voting for a political candidate,” she told the Associated Press. “My choice, either way, is to vote for a sinner… You vote for the person who will limit the amount of evil in the world.”
As for Harris, who is an outspoken supporter of abortion rights, Hawkins said: “It is very clear that she will not be a friend to American Catholics.”
Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, who has worked closely with migrant and refugee communities in South Florida and beyond, sounded a note of “cautious optimism” about a second Trump term, believing that the reality of migrants’ contributions to the US economy will be more important. then the ‘hyperbole’ about mass deportations.
“If he wants to achieve ‘the greatest economy ever,’ he will have to work on some kind of accommodation on immigration issues,” Wenski told the AP.
On abortion and other issues, Wenski said the Biden administration had at times given people of faith “heartburn over policy decisions that appeared to infringe on religious freedom.” He applauded Trump’s appointment of conservative Supreme Court justices during his first term.
Wenski expressed relief that the “radically pro-abortion” ballot measure in Florida did not reach the 60% support needed to prevail. But he made clear that he was aware of “a long road ahead of us in promoting a culture of life.”
Trump’s share of the Jewish vote — about 30%, according to VoteCast — resembled the 2020 outcome, when 68% of Jewish voters supported Biden and 31% supported Trump.
The CEO of one of the country’s largest Jewish organizations, Ted Deutch of the American Jewish Committee, said the AJC looked forward to working with Trump and his administration on policies that would strengthen Israel’s security and combat anti-Semitism.
Deutch also urged the new administration to “increase unity among the American people and repair partisan divisions.”
The CEO of a left-wing advocacy group, Amy Spitalnick of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, said in a statement that Trump’s victory is “terrifying for so many communities that are continually threatened and demonized by his campaign.”
“Trump’s embrace of anti-democratic, anti-Semitic, xenophobic and racist conspiracy theories aims to pit communities against each other and sow distrust in our democratic institutions, while making us all less safe,” Spitalnick said.
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AP reporter Giovanna Dell’Orto contributed to this report.
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Associated Press religion reporting is supported by the AP’s partnership with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
