Clinton Losing Grip On Catholic Voters

By Douglas Belkin - Wall Street Journal
Thursday, May 08, 2008 - Web Link
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May 8, 2008

In a primary season where demographics have often been destiny, one of the biggest stories out of Tuesday's voting in North Carolina and Indiana is that Sen. Hillary Clinton's solid grip on Catholic voters appeared to slip.

In Pennsylvania, Sen. Clinton beat Sen. Barack Obama by 40 points among Catholics. In Indiana, Sen. Obama sliced that deficit in half, earning 41% of the Catholic vote to Sen. Clinton's 59%. And in North Carolina Sen. Clinton won among Catholics by a scant seven points.

"We were pleasantly surprised, by the results," said Joshua Dubois, Sen. Obama's National Director of Religions Affairs. "We had a robust outreach and this is really a getting-to-know-you process."

The Obama campaign has focused more attention on Catholics recently. Catholics in Indiana and North Carolina tend to be wealthier and better-educated than those in Pennsylvania, Texas and Ohio. Sen. Obama has done well among the higher-income groups, while Sen. Clinton draws many working-class voters.

Several members of the Kennedy family stumped for Sen. Obama, and the campaign has held about 200 Catholic town-hall meetings since starting in Ohio.

While religion has taken a higher profile in the primary since the negative media attention surrounding Sen. Obama's minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., it may have drummed up empathy among Catholics for Sen. Obama, said Bill Roth, spokesman for the Catholic Democrats, a nonprofit based in Boston.