Who are the Catholic voters? A look at Congress gives a clue

Published: 2004-05-14

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- If you want to see the face of the U.S. Catholic voter today, a good place to start might be with the 150 members of the 108th Congress who have identified themselves as Catholics. They are Republicans and Democrats, Latinos and non-Latinos, pro-life and not, anti-war and not, born-again and not, from working-class backgrounds and born into wealth. They are new Americans and those who have lived here for many generations. They are from big cities, the suburbs and rural areas. As in earlier presidential election years, pundits are looking at Catholics as a key swing vote in the 2004 campaign, which features a Catholic candidate atop a major party ticket for the first time since 1960. Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, is one of 14 Catholic Democrats in the Senate, which also includes 10 Catholic Republicans. In the House of Representatives, there are 73 Catholic Democrats and 53 Catholic Republicans. But that does not mean they vote in Congress as a Catholic bloc, and neither do Catholic voters in presidential campaigns.

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