It has been argued that the Catholics have stayed with the Ds because of JFK. On Pro-Life, the Catholics should be with us. On other moral issues, they agree with us. But JFK has kept many with the Ds.
Whoever made that argument is an idiot.
It is argued that Republicans won the Catholic vote in Eisenhower’s reelection in 1956, (the polls are conflicted), but that would have been the only time before Kennedy that the Catholics voted Republican.
Since Kennedy, the Republicans have won the Catholic vote at least 3 times, and possibly a 4th and a fifth, (the polls argue those).