[CTrent1564]

ealgeone:

That is true, all my family were democrats, they like many other Catholic ethnic groups, Italians (like me), Polish (like my wife), Irish, Bavarian-Germans, or French, voted for Kennedy 75%. However, those same people were the mainstay of the Reagan Democrats. Nixon in 72 was the first Republican to get over 50% of the Catholic vote, Carter got them back in 76 but Reagan got 61% in 1984 (the most ever). I think about 59% of Catholics are Non-Hispanic White (consists of family name from among 1 of the 5 ethnic groups I mentioned above). In 1990, the statistics were probably about 70-30 Non-Hispanic white to other ethnic groups, mostly from Central and South America. Republicans have pretty much Nixon in 72 gotten most of the Non-Hispanic white Catholic vote. But even if those groups account for 70% of the Catholic vote, getting 60% of that vote only equats to 42% of the total Catholic vote. Even getting 70% doesn’t get you to 60% (49%).

So Allen’s basic hypothesis is correct.

[daniel1212]

That is true, all my family were democrats, they like many other Catholic ethnic groups, Italians (like me), Polish (like my wife), Irish, Bavarian-Germans, or French, voted for Kennedy 75%. However, those same people were the mainstay of the Reagan Democrats. Nixon in 72 was the first Republican to get over 50% of the Catholic vote, Carter got them back in 76 but Reagan got 61% in 1984 (the most ever). I think about 59% of Catholics are Non-Hispanic White (consists of family name from among 1 of the 5 ethnic groups I mentioned above). In 1990, the statistics were probably about 70-30 Non-Hispanic white to other ethnic groups, mostly from Central and South America. Republicans have pretty much Nixon in 72 gotten most of the Non-Hispanic white Catholic vote. But even if those groups account for 70% of the Catholic vote, getting 60% of that vote only equats to 42% of the total Catholic vote. Even getting 70% doesn’t get you to 60% (49%). So Allen’s basic hypothesis is correct.

• 47% of white Catholics identified with or leaned toward the Democratic Party, while 46% supported the GOP in the mid-September [2012] poll [up from 41% in 2008], while 72% of white evangelicals identified with the GOP. http://www.pewforum.org/Race/Latinos-Religion-and-Campaign-2012.aspx#president

  Search white Catholics. for more.