Representatives from pro-life groups said the biggest winners in the 2024 election were Catholic voters.
“This victory is huge for Catholic voters. Trump won the Catholic vote easily,” 40 Days for Life founder Sean Carney told Fox News Digital.
“I know the Al Smith Dinner gets a lot of attention because of that, and it certainly wasn't a wise choice for[Vice President Harris]to not participate in it. But it's not just about dresses and tuxedos. I think it's more than just dressing up. We Catholics, frankly, have always gotten the impression from the Biden-Harris administration that they hate Catholics and hate religion.
“We've seen the things that they've tolerated in some cases facilitate what's happening to Jews. We've seen the Justice Department target Catholics, target pro-lifers. And you just got the feeling that they don't like or respect Catholics.”
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Sean Carney, founder of the national pro-life group 40 Days for Life, told Fox News Digital that the Republican victory in the presidential election was “huge.” (Fox News Digital)
According to a Fox News exit poll on election night, Catholics nationwide favored Trump by 9 points, giving him a 10-point lead among Catholics.
In 2020, Catholics were evenly split between Presidents Biden and Trump, with 50% supporting Trump and 49% supporting Biden.
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While Catholic support exceeded expectations at the national level, the gap in support for Trump among Catholic voters was even wider in some of the most important battleground states.
In Pennsylvania, which has 19 electoral votes and was considered the most important battleground state by both candidates, Catholics make up a quarter of the electorate. Catholic voters in Pennsylvania supported President Trump by a 13-point margin, 56% to 43%, according to Fox exit polls.
Catholic voters in the next largest swing states, North Carolina (16 electors) and Michigan (15 electors), supported Mr. Trump by margins of 17 and 20 points, respectively.
Trump also won over Catholics in Wisconsin by a 16-point margin, helping give the state's 10 electoral votes to the former president.
Pope Francis holds a censer while celebrating Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on December 12, 2018. (Getty Images)
Carney said Harris “ran to abortion” and pointed to social issues that led to the candidate's downfall.
“Kamala supported abortion and celebrated abortion,” he said. “Her campaign was depressing at best.
“Latinos are against abortion. Catholics are against abortion, too. And even liberal Catholics who are going to vote for a Democrat who might tolerate abortion are forced to have it.” “I don't want that,” he said. “Her savage approach to celebrating something that the Catholic Church adamantly opposes was one of her many failings.”
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Carney said many Catholic voters are “offended” by the left's “celebration of abortion.”
“No matter what you hear, I think the other thing that American Catholics still ignore is that morality matters,” he said. “And it doesn't matter how liberal or conservative Catholics are. Catholics still have moral objectivity, and people feel uncomfortable when it's celebrated by someone running for president.”
Pro-life Arizona residents gathered on street corners. (Gina Ferrazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Carney said other top priorities are freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
“There's no question that Catholics value freedom of speech, and many have criticized many of Donald Trump's stances. He's been embarrassed about abortion at one point.” he said. “But so far, he's the most pro-life president we've ever had, and he's also the most pro-free speech president we've ever had.”
Carney pointed to President Trump's advocacy on behalf of the Little Sisters of the Poor after the religious organization was taken to court for failing to provide contraceptives.
“There was definitely a feeling of, 'Look, if they go after Trump, if they go after Catholics, if they go after pro-lifers, it's only a matter of time.' They find something we don’t have or don’t agree with and come after us,” he said.
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“This was a huge free speech victory for Catholics, because for the first time in the Biden-Harris administration, Obama didn't do this, Clinton didn't do this, George W. Bush didn't do this.” said. “They targeted religious people, especially Catholics, based on their religion and the fact that they had the power to do so.
“And you can't target Catholics and expect them to vote for you.”
