55% of Catholics Vote Democratic this Mid-term

Here's an interesting figure. 55% of Catholic voters voted for a Democratic candidate this year. That's up considerably from 2004, where Democrats only carried 48% of the Catholic vote, giving Bush a slight (52%) victory.

Granted, the mid-term election was not a presidential contest, but it certainly points to a cheery trend. “This represents a dramatic change,” said John Green, senior fellow in religion and American politics at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

This from a National Catholic Reporter article, which you can read in full here:
National Catholic Reporter

The article goes on to state:

And while the war in Iraq dominated voter thinking, Catholics had other issues on their minds, according to analysts and activists who study religion’s impact on voting.

Among the top issues: congressional corruption and malfeasance (think Florida Rep. Mark Foley and convicted California Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham), managerial incompetence (exemplified by the handling of Hurricane Katrina and the war), and increasing angst in the electorate focused on economic inequality. Add to the mix a new Democratic desire to engage religiously motivated voters and the result is the party’s first Capitol Hill majority in 12 years.

I never fully believed in the "God Gap" - a catchy phrase for this co-opting of religious voters by the Republican Party. I mean, I know it exists, but the issues are more complicated than that. As usual.