A new EWTN News/RealClear Opinion Research survey published Tuesday found Joe Biden is facing strong disapproval from Catholic voters in six battleground states, with large majorities stating the economy is the most pressing issue in the 2022 midterm elections.
What are Catholics in key battleground states focused on, with the midterms just 2 weeks away? @susancrabtree & @PhilipWegmann with @RealClearNews, Dr. @MattBunson with @EWTNews, discuss the results of the latest poll.
For more information: https://t.co/xB7fHChtv3 pic.twitter.com/PTQETPlij7— EWTN News Nightly (@EWTNNewsNightly) October 25, 2022
Trafalgar Group conducted the poll from October 14-18 with more than 500 likely Catholic voters in each of these battleground states: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
The survey has a 4.1 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level.
Catholic voters were asked about their views on Biden – who claims to be Catholic – and their respective U.S. Senate and governor’s races, and what they see as the top issues in the midterms.
Across all six states, respondents expressed significant concerns about the economy and strong disapproval of Biden’s job performance.
Additionally, in each of the six battleground states, a majority of likely Catholic voters support the Republican candidates for U.S. Senate and governor, with the exception of Pennsylvania, where 50.8 percent of Catholic likely voters support Democrat gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro.
Overall, Catholics in the six states rated the economy, which includes jobs, inflation, and interest rates, as the top issue facing the country, with 63.1 percent as the average for all the states.
Following the apparently massive issue of the economy, Catholic voters rated other concerns for their importance, including immigration and border security (11.4 percent), abortion (7.3 percent), climate change (7.2 percent), health care (4.5 percent), and crime (3.7 percent).
Additionally, strong majorities of Catholic voters in each state disapprove of Biden’s job performance, with 57.5 percent as the average for those who “strongly disapprove,” while 4.7 percent “disapprove.”
On average, only 12.2 percent of Catholic voters in the six states “strongly approve” of Biden and 23.2 percent “approve” of his job performance.
EWTN takes note of the challenge in polling Catholics in light of the “well-documented gulf that exists between active daily or weekly Mass-attending Catholics and those who do not attend regularly.”
Nevertheless, “there is a consensus of disapproval among all Catholics for the job President Biden is doing,” EWTN observes, with his “strongest source of Catholic disapproval” being “among those who attend Mass daily or at least weekly.”
The report continues:
In Pennsylvania, his job disapproval among daily and weekly communicants is more than 70%, while his average approval among Catholic voters who attend only yearly, or less, hovers around 45%. Similar numbers are found throughout the battleground states, with daily and weekly Mass attendees having a far more negative opinion of the second Catholic president than those who attend less often.
While Catholic voters placed abortion as a distant third among the most pressing issues for the country, and 46.2 percent of rarely practicing Catholics said abortion is acceptable throughout all nine months of pregnancy, the vast majority of Catholics in all six states want restrictions on abortion, with an average of 59.1 percent stating abortion is best decided by elected representatives and ballot initiatives:
In Pennsylvania, 81% of all likely Catholic voters want some restrictions; in Florida, 82.5% want restrictions; and in Georgia 84% favor restrictions. This places most Catholic voters in opposition to the Democrat candidates who have largely opposed any restrictions on abortion and who have unanimously called for the codification of Roe v. Wade into federal law.
“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, 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.”
“It’s also clear that measures to protect the unborn are very popular among likely Catholic voters, especially when compared with those who say that abortion should be legal throughout all nine months of pregnancy,” Bunson added.
Key highlights from the poll include:
Arizona:
- 58.5% of Catholic voters consider “economy, jobs, inflation, rising interest rates” the most important issue facing the country today.
- 52.5% of Catholic voters support Kari Lake (R) for governor, while 46.9% expressed support for Katie Hobbs (D).
- 51.4% of Catholic voters support Blake Masters (R) for Senate, while 46.3% support Mark Kelly (D).
- 39.5% of Catholic voters approve or strongly approve of President Biden’s job performance, while 58.5% of Catholic voters disapprove or “strongly disapprove.”
- 69.2% of Catholic voters support limiting abortion to 15-weeks or earlier. 17.4% of Catholic voters support legalizing abortion through all 9 months of pregnancy.
Florida:
- 67.6% of Catholic voters consider “economy, jobs, inflation, rising interest rates” the most important issue facing the country today.
- 61.4% of Catholic voters support Ron DeSantis (R) for governor, while 34.5% expressed support for Charlie Crist (D).
- 59.1% of Catholic voters support Marco Rubio (R) for Senate, while 36.9% support Val Demings (D).
- 35.9% of Catholic voters approve or strongly approve of President Biden’s job performance, while 61.4% of Catholic voters disapprove or “strongly disapprove.”
- 74.6% of Catholic voters support limiting abortion to 15 weeks or earlier. 17.5% of Catholic voters support legalizing abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.
Georgia:
- 67.1% of Catholic voters consider “economy, jobs, inflation, rising interest rates” the most important issue facing the country today.
- 67.1% of Catholic voters support Brian Kemp (R) for governor, while 31.1% expressed support for Stacey Abrams (D).
- 64.7% of Catholic voters support Herschel Walker (R) for Senate, while 32.7% support Raphael Warnock (D).
- 29.9% of Catholic voters approve or strongly approve of President Biden’s job performance, while 68.5% of Catholic voters disapprove or “strongly disapprove.”
- 78% of Catholic voters support limiting abortion to 15 weeks or earlier. 16% of Catholic voters support legalizing abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.
Nevada:
- 64.3% of Catholic voters consider “economy, jobs, inflation, rising interest rates” the most important issue facing the country today.
- 55.6% of Catholic voters support Joe Lombardo (R) for governor, while 34.2% expressed support for Steve Sisolak (D).
- 56.7% of Catholic voters support Adam Laxalt (R) for Senate, while 36.4% support Catherine Cortez Masto (D).
- 63.3% of Catholic voters disapprove or “strongly disapprove” of President Biden’s job performance, while 33% of Catholic voters approve or “strongly approve.”
- 69% of Catholic voters support limiting abortion to 15 weeks or earlier. 22.3% of Catholic voters support legalizing abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.
Ohio:
- 59.8% of Catholic voters consider “economy, jobs, inflation, rising interest rates” the most important issue facing the country today.
- 61.3% of Catholic voters support Mike DeWine (R) for governor, while 34.4% expressed support for Nan Whaley (D).
- 55.5% of Catholic voters support J.D. Vance (R) for Senate, while 41% support Tim Ryan (D).
- 33.6% of Catholic voters approve or strongly approve of President Biden’s job performance, while 62.4% of Catholic voters disapprove or “strongly disapprove.”
- 72.4% of Catholic voters support limiting abortion to 15 weeks or earlier. 17.4% of Catholic voters support legalizing abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.
Pennsylvania:
- 60.6% of Catholic voters consider “economy, jobs, inflation, rising interest rates” the most important issue facing the country today.
- 50.8% of Catholic voters support Josh Shapiro (D) for governor, while 44.5% expressed support for Doug Mastriano (R).
- 50.7% of Catholic voters support Mehmet Oz (R) for Pennsylvania Senate, while 45.2% support John Fetterman (D).
- 39.3% of Catholic voters approve or strongly approve of President Biden’s job performance, while 56.5% of Catholic voters disapprove or “strongly disapprove.”
- 70.4% of Catholic voters support limiting abortion to 15 weeks or earlier. 19% of Catholic voters support legalizing abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.
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Susan Berry, PhD, is national education editor at The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
