Washington Letter: Catholic voters moved toward Democrats in 2026 elections, early data shows
Early exit polls showed Catholic voters split nearly evenly in the 2026 U.S. midterms, with 50% supporting Democrats and 49% Republicans—a shift from Catholics’ 55% support for Donald Trump in 2024. Analyst Ryan Burge said the results suggest Catholic voters are not firmly aligned with either party and can shift between elections. The shift came during a Democratic landslide, with the party projected to win a large House majority and gain Senate seats in traditionally Republican states, including Texas.
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Early exit-poll data indicate Catholic voters shifted toward Democrats in the 2026 midterms: 50% of Catholic respondents backed Democrats and 49% Republicans, compared with a 55% Trump vote among Catholics in 2024. The change came amid major Democratic gains nationally, while analysts cautioned that Catholics are not a consistently aligned voting bloc. 1
NBC News exit polling conducted with other news organizations found the near-even split among Catholic voters. Ryan Burge, a religion and politics scholar, described the result as a reversal of recent movement toward Republicans. 1
Catholic voters have supported candidates from both parties in recent presidential elections: they backed Al Gore in 2000, George W. Bush in 2004, Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, Donald Trump in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020, and Trump again in 2024. Burge said the pattern shows Catholics are more electorally changeable than some other religious groups. 1
The reported movement occurred as Democrats were projected to win a large House majority, with 259 seats to Republicans’ 176 as of Nov. 9. Democrats also gained Senate seats in Texas, South Carolina, Kansas, and Iowa, and won competitive races in North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, Michigan, and Maine; Mississippi and Alaska remained too close to call. 1
Texas was cited as a possible example of the Catholic vote’s role. Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton by 13 points, winning the state’s first Democratic Senate race since 1994. Burge said the result likely involved shifts among multiple groups, including Catholics; Villanova law professor Michael Moreland said Catholic voters may also have contributed in House races in Ohio, Iowa, and Pennsylvania, but were not necessarily decisive on their own. 1
A Pew Research Center survey before the election found that Trump’s approval among Catholics fell from 47% at the start of his second term to 30% in October 2026. Moreland said concerns about the perceived harshness of immigration enforcement were present in parts of the Catholic community. 1
The article also notes that analysts had pointed to Trump’s immigration policies—which Catholic leaders had criticized—and his public attacks on Pope Leo XIV as possible factors in Catholic voters’ movement away from him. 1*
Catholic voters pursue the common good across political divides
Catholic voters can disagree across political and party lines while sharing a moral purpose: to seek the good of the whole community, especially by protecting human dignity and serving people who are vulnerable or excluded. That does not mean Catholic teaching dictates one party or erases serious moral disagreements. It means political participation should be guided by a formed conscience, honest judgment, and a willingness to work with others without surrendering the principles of the faith.
The common good is more than the sum of private interests or a victory for one political faction. It concerns the social conditions that allow people and communities to live with dignity and pursue what is genuinely good. The bishops’ introductory note draws on the Good Samaritan: citizenship involves building social bonds and directing society toward the common good. In that image, political life is not only about winning arguments or elections; it is also about whether we notice and respond to the wounds of others.
This commitment extends beyond Catholics. Catholic political responsibility includes seeking the good of neighbors who do not share Catholic beliefs, because every person’s dignity matters. Catholics may bring explicitly religious reasons to public questions, while still cooperating with people of different faiths or none when they share a practical goal. Agreement on a policy does not require identical reasons for supporting it, and disagreement does not make cooperation impossible.
The bishops identify many threats to human dignity, including abortion, euthanasia, gun violence, human trafficking, poverty, racism, and the suffering of migrants and refugees. They also identify religious freedom, healthcare, education, and care for the common home as public concerns. The breadth of this list means Catholic voters should not reduce politics to a single issue or treat the common good as belonging exclusively to one party’s platform.
At the same time, breadth does not mean that every issue has identical moral weight. The bishops call abortion a “pre-eminent priority” because it directly attacks the most vulnerable and voiceless. That priority should shape Catholic judgment, but it does not make other grave threats disappear or excuse contempt for people who approach political choices differently. Faithful political reasoning therefore requires both moral seriousness about particular issues and attention to the wider range of harms affecting human life and dignity.
The bishops warn that political speech can exploit fear, anger, and division, and they urge Catholics to speak and act in ways consistent with Christian charity. Their practical counsel is not to hide disagreements, but to pursue frank and open dialogue, look for points of contact, and work together where possible. They also say Catholics should consider not only candidates’ positions but their character and integrity.
“work and struggle together”
That call is a discipline, not a demand for false agreement. Catholics may oppose policies they judge unjust and advocate firmly for alternatives. But the manner of engagement matters: demonizing opponents can undermine the very social bonds political participation ought to serve. The bishops connect good political judgment with habits that help form conscience—prayer, Scripture, silence, and direct service to people in need—rather than allowing media outrage to determine one’s view of the world.
To pursue the common good across political divides is to ask more than, “Which side benefits my group?” A Catholic voter should consider how policies affect human dignity, especially the lives of the weak and vulnerable; weigh the range and seriousness of the issues at stake; assess candidates’ positions and integrity; and remain willing to cooperate with others for genuine goods. This approach neither requires Catholics to become politically neutral nor permits them to treat partisan loyalty as a substitute for moral judgment.
The central challenge is to oppose what is wrong without giving hatred the final word. Catholic political engagement is meant to serve the whole human family, not merely to secure advantage for one’s own side. Its measure is whether it protects human dignity, promotes justice, and helps build relationships in which people can work together for the good of all.