"Donald Trump Secures Catholic Vote with 15-Point Lead"

 Exit polls indicate that President-Elect Donald Trump captured the Catholic vote by a substantial 15-point margin—the largest in decades.

A Washington Post exit poll showed Trump leading nationally among Catholic voters, winning 56% to 41%. Likewise, an NBC exit poll revealed that in 10 critical swing states, Catholic voters favored Trump by the same 15-point margin, with 56% backing him over Harris, who received 41%

.Donald Trump and running mate J.D. Vance’s focused outreach to Catholic voters paid off significantly on Election Day, while Vice President Kamala Harris’s stance on key issues seemed to alienate many in this critical demographic. In late October, Trump had remarked that Harris had “lost the Catholic vote,” as her support among Catholics plummeted, with polls reflecting a consistent trend in favor of Trump.

Studies underscore the importance of the Catholic vote as a bellwether for presidential elections. In 2016, Trump won 52% of Catholic voters over Hillary Clinton’s 42%, helping secure his victory. Conversely, in 2020, President Joe Biden narrowly won the Catholic vote, and, as predicted, the election. This election cycle, Trump secured a substantial lead, with exit polls showing a 15-point margin among Catholics nationwide and across 10 key swing states.

On social media, Trump criticized Harris’s record, asserting that her support for policies like late-term abortion—and even “execution after birth”—positioned her at odds with the values held by many Catholics. Trump pledged to “protect persecuted Christians” and tackle religious intolerance if re-elected.

Former U.S. Ambassador Callista Gingrich reinforced this perception, describing Harris as “the anti-Catholic candidate” due to her stance on religious freedom and her decision to skip the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, an annual Catholic charity event. Harris was the first presidential candidate to miss the dinner since 1984, opting instead to send a pre-recorded message, which Gingrich noted as a further sign of disregard for Catholic traditions.

Critics highlighted Harris’s past actions, such as her scrutiny of Catholic judicial nominees over their membership in the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic charitable organization with deep roots in American history. Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote.org, described Trump and Vance’s victory as “historic,” citing that Catholic voters “played a decisive role.” Burch noted that their margin among Catholics may be the largest in decades, reflecting a shift toward what he called the “new right” agenda, which emphasizes family-centered social policies and “America-first” economic priorities.

Trump and Vance’s platform of economic stability and humane immigration reform resonated with many Catholics, contrasting sharply with Harris’s views on religious accommodations for faith-based opposition to abortion. Burch emphasized that Catholics have once again proven to be a critical voting bloc that can shape election outcomes.