States with large Catholic populations.

[GauchoJJG]

Are states with larger catholic populations gradually moving away from their previous levels of support for the President?

[Miles]

Well, long-term, the southern Louisiana is heavily Catholic and its been shifting away from Democrats for quite some time. Obama, not surprisingly, was never well-liked here (outside of New Orleans and a handful of rural river parishes).

[BaldEagle1991]

Texas has a sizable Catholic population in the cities and South Texas (where mostly Catholic Hispanics live), but he isn't popular in the state. Although he is popular in the Hispanic Catholic Rio Grande Valley, and the major cities. I think it's oddly enough mostly Catholics in TX who are his strongest supporters in the state.

New England is one of the regions of the US where Roman Catholics predominate, and many of it's states are pretty pro-Obama. Although this could be an asterisk considering not very many of NE Catholics are devout, and there's also a sizable secular populations in the region.

Louisiana has already been said, but many of those guys are Louisiana Catholics Republican, unlike in most other states. 

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Contrary to popular belief, Catholics actually mostly approved of the contraception decision; those who didn't probably weren't voting for Obama anyway. The most heavily Catholic states are in the Northeast, which Obama doesn't have to worry about; the only competitive Northeastern states are PA (which is plurality Catholic but the GOP base is evangelical Protestants), and WASP New Hampshire.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

It depends on if they are Hispanic catholic states like CO,NV,NM or white catholic states more like NH,IO, and FLa.  Which we already know how he is doing NH,PA,IA,CO,NMand NV even with Romney and like FLa slightly below Romney.

[old timey villain]

I'm not Catholic, but it seems like politicos and pollsters seem to search for some catholic political narrative that doesn't exist. There are really no uniformly Catholic policies or beliefs, at least none that all Catholics agree with.

I mean, my mom's family is Catholic and they range from wacky liberal to far right nutjob. Catholics are so integrated, dispersed and mainstream that the politics are incredibly varied now, at least among white Catholics.

Just look at the birth control debate. I really think Republicans like Santorum believed that the controversy would get Catholics on their side, but it turned out that Catholics were just as much in favor of birth control as everyone else.

Bottom line, I don't think there will be much of a swing to or from Obama simply based on someone's Catholic faith.

[Miles]

As a Catholic myself, I tend to agree with cope's analysis. Its hard to label Catholic voters as one thing or another; its especially varies by region, I find.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Where I live, the conservative base is largely Catholic (though not entirely).

[memphis]

Well, long-term, the southern Louisiana is heavily Catholic and its been shifting away from Democrats for quite some time. Obama, not surprisingly, was never well-liked here (outside of New Orleans and a handful of rural river parishes).

You guys have many black Catholics in LA? That's not a common combination where I live. To say the least.

[pbrower2a]

Well, long-term, the southern Louisiana is heavily Catholic and its been shifting away from Democrats for quite some time. Obama, not surprisingly, was never well-liked here (outside of New Orleans and a handful of rural river parishes).

You guys have many black Catholics in LA? That's not a common combination where I live. To say the least.

French cultural influence in Louisiana.

[BaldEagle1991]

To be honest, coming from a Catholic family, I find it odd that so many Catholics agree with birth control policies, is there any reason why this may be?

[7,052,770]

To be honest, coming from a Catholic family, I find it odd that so many Catholics agree with birth control policies, is there any reason why this may be?

No modern married couple wants to go without birth control, regardless of what their religion says.  Most women aren't homemakers anymore, especially young ones of normal pregnancy age.

[old timey villain]

To be honest, coming from a Catholic family, I find it odd that so many Catholics agree with birth control policies, is there any reason why this may be?

Most Catholics are like most people in this country. They subscribe to some religious faith but it doesn't hold a huge sway over their day to day lives. Not to diminish the power of the Catholic faith, but I'd wager that most Catholics don't heed the advice of the Vatican any more than most protestants do.

[GauchoJJG]

Just to clarify my post a bit. 
I was wondering if the President's requirement that religious institutions such as universities and hospitals provide artificial contraception and abortion services in their health coverage was gradually eroding some support for the President. Not so much because Catholics agree with the Church but because they are offended by the President dictating to the Church.
 States where the President's support among Catholics might be declining a bit might include Mass., RI, CT, NY, NJ, Penn, Ohio, Mich, Wisc, Fla, Ind, MD, Calif, Ariz, Texas.  Many of these are not exactly in play but I am trying to squint and see if there is a trend going on.

[All Along The Watchtower]

If anything, states with large Catholic populations tend to be pro-Obama, if you factor in the Hispanic population as well as the New England and Northeastern states.

Of course, there are states like Louisiana which are not pro-Obama and yet have a large Catholic population. Different cultural/regional history, and all that...

[Oakvale]

Catholics aren't a unified voting block in any way, shape or form.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Catholics aren't a unified voting block in any way, shape or form.

Neither are Protestants!

/BRTD

[freepcrusher]

Contrary to popular belief, Catholics actually mostly approved of the contraception decision; those who didn't probably weren't voting for Obama anyway. The most heavily Catholic states are in the Northeast, which Obama doesn't have to worry about; the only competitive Northeastern states are PA (which is plurality Catholic but the GOP base is evangelical Protestants), and WASP New Hampshire.

there isn't much of a fundie presence in PA. The state is mostly catholic and mainline protestant with a decent amount of jews in metro Philly.

[TJ in Oregon]

Like everyone has already said, most Catholics are well-integrated in society and vote based on a wide array of different concerns not too terribly different from the general population. I do think there will be some erosion of Catholic support for Obama from the birth control mandate, not so much because they follow the Church's teachings on birth control, but because there is some perceived friction between the administration and the Church. I think Mitt Romney will carry the Catholic vote by 3-4 points, but we're talking about maybe a 1-point national swing over it, nothing that will dramatically shift the outcome of the election.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Contrary to popular belief, Catholics actually mostly approved of the contraception decision; those who didn't probably weren't voting for Obama anyway. The most heavily Catholic states are in the Northeast, which Obama doesn't have to worry about; the only competitive Northeastern states are PA (which is plurality Catholic but the GOP base is evangelical Protestants), and WASP New Hampshire.

there isn't much of a fundie presence in PA. The state is mostly catholic and mainline protestant with a decent amount of jews in metro Philly.

You haven't been in the rural areas of the state, clearly.

[TeePee4Prez]

To be honest, coming from a Catholic family, I find it odd that so many Catholics agree with birth control policies, is there any reason why this may be?

Simple.  A shift to an industrial based economy where people only needed a grade school education to make a living to a service/knowledge based in the "white/Catholic" areas.  Back in the day white ethnic Catholic typically only graduated grade school then went to work plus were part of large families.  Often they'd be contributing to the family income at as early as 12 years old supporting themselves and siblings.  Currently, birth control is needed to ensure children have a good education.

[Smash255]

Just to clarify my post a bit. 
I was wondering if the President's requirement that religious institutions such as universities and hospitals provide artificial contraception and abortion services in their health coverage was gradually eroding some support for the President. Not so much because Catholics agree with the Church but because they are offended by the President dictating to the Church.
 States where the President's support among Catholics might be declining a bit might include Mass., RI, CT, NY, NJ, Penn, Ohio, Mich, Wisc, Fla, Ind, MD, Calif, Ariz, Texas.  Many of these are not exactly in play but I am trying to squint and see if there is a trend going on.

No, no and hell no.  The amount of Catholics that give a crap about something like that is too small to count, the ten or so people that protested outside of my building (my office is in the same building as Congresswoman McCarthy's) attests to that.  Not to mention ones that do care sure as hell weren't supporting Obama in the first place.

[Zarn]

Catholics make up the most politically diverse group in the world. We are all over the spectrum.

Libertarians, conservatives, liberals, socialists... it is all of the above and not in small numbers. I saw something a few years back, where it said the largest political ideology (not party) amongst US Catholics was libertarianism but only at roughly 20%. I have no idea what the numbers for other groups are, but that doesn't sound too unified.

[NY Jew]

Catholics make up the most politically diverse group in the world. We are all over the spectrum.

Libertarians, conservatives, liberals, socialists... it is all of the above and not in small numbers. I saw something a few years back, where it said the largest political ideology (not party) amongst US Catholics was libertarianism but only at roughly 20%. I have no idea what the numbers for other groups are, but that doesn't sound too unified.

more so then Jews (remember McCains best ED in the country was Jewish)

[WhyteRain]

Catholics make up the most politically diverse group in the world. We are all over the spectrum.

Libertarians, conservatives, liberals, socialists... it is all of the above and not in small numbers. I saw something a few years back, where it said the largest political ideology (not party) amongst US Catholics was libertarianism but only at roughly 20%. I have no idea what the numbers for other groups are, but that doesn't sound too unified.

more so then Jews (remember McCains best ED in the country was Jewish)

What's "ED"?