Capturing the Catholic vote

The Democrat who wins Pennsylvania will have to court the Catholic vote. According to AP, Pennsylvania's 3.8 million Catholics make up 30 percent of the state's population. So far, Clinton has a hefty 70-24% lead among Pennsylvania Catholics.

Clinton has always had an edge among Catholic voters. She handily won the Catholic vote in Ohio and Texas, and according to a recent Gallup poll she still leads among Catholics by almost 20 percentage points. Among white Catholics, she gets 57% to Obama's 34%. Among nonwhite Catholics - mostly composed of Hispanics - she leads 53% to 42%.

Why is Hillary winning the Catholic vote from Obama?

The Wall Street Journal says Catholics liked Clinton's husband and approve of her emphasis on universal health care. Clinton also has supporters among white working-class voters and Hispanics, traditionally Catholic voters.

In an interview with God-o-Meter, Catholic Republican and Obama endorser Doug Kmiec speculated that Catholics support Hillary because Obama voted against the Infant Protection Act. Michael Sean Winters says Clinton could gain points with Catholics by positioning herself as a more moderate candidate on the abortion issue. Obama could do the same to persuade pro-life Catholics like Kmiec, who says trying to change abortion law is "a bit of a fool's game," and pro-lifers should instead focus on changing "the heart of the individual person and the attitude of the larger culture."

The racial divide matters, too. Kmiec notes that Hispanics are heavily Catholic and divided from African Americans. On Artvoice.com, former Democratic consultant Bruce Fisher sees a divide between white Catholics and black Protestants. The white Protestant evangelical religious experience --- "boisterous, enthusiastic, demonstrative" --- is familiar to most Africans Americans but "alien, uncomfortable and more than a little bit threatening to Catholics."

InsideCatholic.com editor Deal W. Hudson advises Obama to use pro-life Catholic supporters like Timothy Roemer and to find common ground with social conservatives on issues like illegal immigration and faith-based initiatives. It's advice Obama should heed, especially if he and John McCain end up vying for the support of a voter group that makes up 25% of the general electorate.