Election 2020

Some conservative Catholics are joining evangelicals in casting doubt on the 2020 election results, but their suspicions are not widely shared with a number of leading Catholic scholars, public intellectuals and leaders.

Commentary: White Christians stuck with Donald Trump in large numbers; Catholic institutions must do some soul-searching about the persistence of racism in our church, political formation and cultural assumptions.

Distinctly Catholic: I am not sure how I got on the email list for the Trump-Pence campaign, but I am glad I did.

Twice-weekly roundup of political news and commentary: Bishop Barron's fierce words underwhelm; Politico examines election's hard data, Biden's transition team picks and a major Democratic failure.

From Where I Stand: My mother insisted that there was something to be learned in everything. I've learned a lot from President Donald Trump in none of the ways I wanted to.

While gearing up for the inauguration of Joe Biden, whose vice president will be a Black woman and who has already promised to expand the number of refugees next year by a factor of 10, religious activists on the left are wrestling with how to keep their momentum.

Theology en la Plaza: How am I to love the bearer of an unlovable idea? I asked that question while listening to interviews of Trump supporters. My answer was immediate and instinctual: I'll meet you at the cross.

Theology en la Plaza: In a pandemic, social friendship begins with wearing masks. In a political transition, healing requires admission of loss. We owe a sacred obligation to the dead and the living.

For a group that is majority Catholic — and thus often expected to vote primarily against abortion — Latino residents in Arizona largely voted Democrat in this presidential election, helping to turn the state blue for the first time since 1996.

Francis, the comic strip: Has anyone ever demanded a recount in a papal election?

Religious voters were pivotal to Biden's victory over Trump, but political divisions by race and sect run deep among voters of faith, speakers said in a Nov. 10 panel discussion hosted by Georgetown.

Look for Biden to listen to key voices — some of whom may disagree with him on many issues — from his own Catholic community, from Judaism and, yes, evangelicals, but of a different ilk than those who counseled Trump.

Distinctly Catholic: The president-elect, a lifelong moderate, must challenge the Senate to rise to the occasion and not settle for inadequate policies that fail to address the clamant needs of the American people.

Throughout the campaign, Biden was subject to criticism about his faith, with some church figures suggesting he is not a real Catholic. Yet some church observers are warning that such hostility could backfire.

We say: After four years of racism, misogyny and narcissism in the White House, we look forward to a dignified, honest leader who might restore a level of respect for the office and for our nation.

The letter accuses "some elected officials" of making "the immoral choice to hold onto power at any cost, including disenfranchising thousands, denying their most sacred gift: their voice."

Distinctly Catholic: Even if former Vice President Joe Biden wins, the result is frightening. Half the country was only too willing to let lower angels run amok in their minds and hearts.

#CatholicsVote2020: In the hazy 48 hours since polls closed, most bishops have remained quiet. Yet for those who have spoken out, faith in democratic norms, protection of the marginalized, and national healing have emerged as key themes.

What Now?: We cannot move forward until we collectively mourn the countless American lives lost this year, including grappling with the ways capitalism has directly contributed to the various crises of 2020.

Watch: NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters, Kansas City Star columnist Melinda Henneberger and opinion editor Olga Segura discuss what we know the day after Election Day.

Distinctly Catholic: There was no sweeping victory. The challenge for the church is obvious, and it begins as all spiritual growth does with an examination of conscience. Whatever we have been trying in the past isn't working.

Faith Seeking Understanding: For Christians seeking to move forward toward reconciliation and peace after the 2020 election, we have to avoid cynicism, preserve memory and restore a sense of our shared humanity.

Watch: Former NCR executive editor Tom Roberts talks to Sr. Joan Chittister about the state of the country and what might come next.

From Where I Stand: The time is now. Otherwise, it will forever be too late to grasp this moment of holy change again. It will be far too late to take on the pride, greed and corruption that has brought us to this time.

Twice-weekly round up of news and opinion: Viganò chimes in on Donald Trump and the deep state; early voting is high; listening to rural voters; what about Texas; what if Trump flees the country

We say: Given the stakes, this is not a time for peace at any cost. No American can sit back as our democracy is undermined. But any protests or witnesses must be nonviolent. Only love brings reconciliation.

#CatholicsVote2020: NCR reporters and analysts will be tracking developments at the intersection of faith and politics throughout the day Nov. 3 — and until a winner can accurately be determined.

If Donald Trump is reelected, the decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement will be locked in for the next four years. The outcome of the U.S. elections will affect action on climate change around the world, activists say.

Distinctly Catholic: It is good for Catholics to remind ourselves that the day after tomorrow, many of our nation's most intractable problems will require more than political solutions.

Commentary: After living through a period of intense division, enhanced by a contentious presidential contest and made more urgent by a pandemic, what do we do now as a nation?

Latino men — like men of other groups — have supported Trump more than Hispanic women, and in some cases, in contrast to members of their own families. 

The two parties exchanged crossfire in Omaha's newspaper, with Archbishop George Lucas responding to an opinion piece by Professors Richard Miller and Todd Salzman, who argued in support of voting for Joe Biden.

Signs of the Times: It's the eternal conundrum of the so-called Catholic vote — Catholics no longer vote as a bloc as they once did, nor do they necessarily support candidates who favor the bishops' agenda, such as being anti-abortion. 

Commentary: Someone sent me a video in which a priest said, "You cannot be Catholic and be a Democrat." As the U.S. representative for New York's 3rd District, I am both. So is my candidate for president.

Distinctly Catholic: The fact that an evil is intrinsic tells us nothing about its significance for the common good and political life.

A diverse coalition of religious sisters, African American clergy, legal scholars and practitioners, community activists and a network of field workers have united with a shared purpose: protecting the right to vote for all.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, in a statement to NCR, joined the chorus of voices hailing Pope Francis' historic decision to create Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington a cardinal.

Distinctly Catholic: It is now as likely that Biden wins in a landslide as that Trump wins at all, but the only poll that matters is the one on Election Day.

Presidential nominee Joe Biden quoted from Fratelli Tutti on the campaign trail, and within moments, President Donald Trump's reelection campaign took the pope's words out of context in an attempt to use them against Biden.

A political action committee opposed to President Trump's reelection has released a new ad targeting Catholic voters, highlighting polling that shows the majority of Catholics are voting against him.

Because of the prominence of Greta Thunberg and other young activists, climate activism is often portrayed as a young people's movement. There are a number of elders' groups in the U.S. who believe they have a critical role to play in protecting the planet, and an obligation to do so.

Commentary: There are some factors that can help us understand why President Donald Trump is faring well in some Latinx circles, without forgetting that a majority of Latinos will never support him.

Though a third-party candidate has never won a U.S. presidential election, such candidates continue to be a presence in the American political sphere. How do Catholic voters feel about them in 2020?

Distinctly Catholic: Michael Warsaw wants Catholics to vote for Donald Trump's "long-term vision" for the country, without acknowledging COVID-19 deaths, racism, cruelty, libertarianism and irreparable harm to the planet.

Distinctly Catholic: The "mute" button allowed voters to hear Donald Trump and Joe Biden's answers in the final debate before the Nov. 3 presidential election.

What began last year as a debate among the bishops over what emphasis to place on abortion in their official voting guide continues to spill out into public — virtual conferences, newspaper columns and on social media.

At least a half dozen religious campaigns have homed in on climate change ahead of the election. Will it be enough to motivate the environmental voters — 10 million by one nonpartisan estimate — who didn't vote in 2016?

NCR Connections: As a friendly reminder — and for suggested sharing — we offer this roundup of recent helpful articles and columns that counter the narrative that to be Catholic means you must vote Republican and for Donald Trump.

It's Happening: I've never voted in any election, going back to when Kennedy and Nixon were offering their services to the country. Why? Because I'm a pacifist — and on my better days, a pacifist-anarchist.

Covering Climate Now: In Florida, Michigan and Oregon, three millennial Democrats believe climate action will be a winning issue with conservative voters

Less than two weeks before the presidential election, a new poll indicated President Donald Trump has lost the so-called "Catholic vote" and that his nomination of a Catholic to the Supreme Court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, did nothing to change that equation.

Commentary: During my 12 years of public service as a Democratic member of Congress from Indiana, I voted pro-life.

Distinctly Catholic: While the margins are narrow, too close to call, the dynamic of the race is clear: It is Joe Biden's to lose; he needs to get policy positions out during the Oct. 21 debate.

As they head to the polls, nearly all religious Americans say the coronavirus is the most critical issue facing the country, a new study by PRRI shows. But there's one notable exception: white evangelicals.

While media focus on white Catholics in swing states, Black and Latinx Catholics are asserting their own political voice amid protests for racial justice and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

A new presidential poll issued Oct. 15 by the Pew Research Center shows Catholic former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, ahead by 10 percentage points, 52%-42%, over the Republican incumbent, President Donald Trump.

The most important religious group to the 2020 presidential election is not really a religious group at all. 

Two liberal-leaning religious groups are unveiling a short film aimed at mobilizing fellow faith-fueled voters, adding to a flurry of religion-themed advertisements critical of President Donald Trump and his administration that have been released in the final weeks before the election.

Watch: Executive editor Heidi Schlumpf speaks with columnist Michael Sean Winters and Ralph McCloud, director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, about coronavirus, the Affordable Healthcare Act and the upcoming presidential election.

Distinctly Catholic: The common good, which the pope reminds us is the moral objective of political life, requires more than just a new president. Let's consider some non-presidential contests.

We live in a real world that confronts us with limited choices in this political season. Discernment must begin with an evaluation of the principles of Catholic social teaching applied to the current historical moment.

Dubbed "Not Our Faith," the new super PAC plans to roll out six-figure TV and digital ads focused on Christian voters‚ particularly the evangelical and Catholic voters who helped power Trump to victory in 2016.

"One very sad dimension of the election cycle we are witnessing," said San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy, is "the public denial of candidates' identity as Catholics because of a specific policy position they have taken."

Review: Director Bernardo Ruiz and producer Andrea Cordoba explore the largest non-white voting bloc in the country — Latinos — and mobilization efforts to increase their turnout in the 2020 election.

A new podcast from America magazine called "Voting Catholic" examines how Catholics are thinking about issues such as racial justice, climate change, poverty and abortion as the 2020 election approaches.

Commentary: In reporting on a recent poll, EWTN opted to showcase the predictable observation but obscured inconvenient facts about how Catholics feel about the presidential candidates.

Distinctly Catholic: Wednesday night's vice presidential debate between Sen. Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence won't change much about the 2020 race.

Distinctly Catholic: As I have been arguing, the only lies the president tells that really matter are the lies that affect people's lives. Now, we need to amend that to include lies that affect people's deaths.

Outrage against Trump immigration statements and policies, or equating the Black Lives Matter protests with Latinos, will not persuade reluctant Latinos who lean Republican, according to a polling expert.

Archbishop Allen Vigneron offered the opening prayer for a Sept. 30 virtual fundraising event for Right to Life of Michigan, during which the organization offered an endorsement of President Donald Trump.

A number of individual U.S. bishops are using the presidential election year to offer their own reflections on how Catholics should approach the ballot box, often doubling down on emphasizing abortion via letters and columns.

Young Voices: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things not seen." The chapter in Hebrews goes on to outline the painstakingly persistent faith of Genesis' heroes, faith taken by many people throughout many ages.

Distinctly Catholic: If one of the only things Democrats have to say to white working-class voters is that they suffer from white privilege, no one should be surprised if Pennsylvania and Wisconsin stay in the red column this year.

Pundits often dismiss "the Latino vote," saying Latinos don't vote uniformly and have members with a wide range of views. But both presidential candidates are courting Latino constituencies in battleground states.

One night after the first presidential debate, Joe Biden's faith outreach team focused on the fight against racism, arguing that for people of faith, it should be the defining faith issue of the campaign.

Roundtable: For those who care about the minds and hearts of Trump backers or look to change their votes, there are likely larger, more pervasive issues of wounded self-respect in the shadows.

Film review: The most frightening film of 2020 is Amazon's "All In: The Fight for Democracy," a documentary with Stacey Abrams about the history — and current state of — voter suppression in the United States.

Watch: EarthBeat editor Barbara Fraser talks with staff writer Brian Roewe and conservationist and policy advisor Tom Lovejoy about what's at stake for the country and climate policy in the 2020 presidential election.

Climate change made a surprise appearance at the presidential debate on Tuesday night, for the first time since 2008, though it was not on the list of questions initially planned by moderator Chris Wallace.

Distinctly Catholic: Debate No. 1 goes to former Vice President Joe Biden, as even moderator Chris Wallace was exasperated by President Donald Trump's constant interruptions.

A decision by the St. Louis Archdiocese's newly installed archbishop to suspend a webinar series on immigration and place one of its organizers on leave has led to backlash from area Catholics who allege he has capitulated to a campaign from fringe right-wing groups.

Commentary: President Donald Trump is a threat to the republic and its democratic institutions on multiple levels. At the base of all the current turmoil lie perennial questions that have to do with moral authority and spiritual integrity.

"Let's put the political games aside": In a Q&A with NCR, Kentucky Democrat Amy McGrath explains she sees her Senate campaign as about corruption in Washington, not about abortion or the Supreme Court nominee.

John Carr helped write the first voting guide adopted by U.S. bishops in 1975. Not once since then has the longtime bishops' adviser ever publicly said how he intends to vote. Until now.

Commentary: While Kerry calls himself "a believing, practicing Catholic," he chose not to emphasize that in his 2004 presidential campaign. But Biden's faith is an essential part of his 2020 campaign's narrative.

Eight days after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Donald Trump announced Sept. 26 that Judge Amy Coney Barrett is his nominee to fill that seat.

To Andrés Chong-Qui Torres, growing up in an evangelical Pentecostal household and studying at a Jesuit prep school led him to not only develop "an intense love for the Word of God," but to embrace public service and social justice.

We say: In the past three and a half years, many people have been suffering in our country. We urge Catholics to look around at the suffering in the U.S. and vote your conscience this election.

Distinctly Catholic: Analyses of U.S. "Latino electorates" take into consideration varied nations of origin, the age of voters, issues of concern beyond immigration and race — but religious identification gets ignored.

Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh told Catholics in the diocese in a preelection message that he cannot tell them whom to vote for on Election Day.

The importance of Catholics as part of the U.S. electorate was the subject of an online panel Sept. 17 hosted by the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola University in Chicago, with Steven P. Millies, E.J. Dionne Jr., Emma Green and Michael Bayer.

Commentary: We can always go to another Special Olympics, we heard as we waited on the plane. Biden replied, "I gave my word that I'm going. Let's wait to see if the weather breaks. And let's get some work done while we wait."

Commentary: I would love to get a tablet with 10 clear statements, admonitions and directions, but just in case the tablet doesn't make it in time, what can I do during the next 40 days? What can we do?

President Donald Trump appeared at the conservative-run National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, held virtually Sept. 23, where he announced he was signing an executive order to protect all infants born alive.

Commentary: Vote Common Good recently commissioned a poll in six swing states to try and define character issues and their importance to voters.

Distinctly Catholic: The short answer is that the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg helps President Donald Trump in the election. But it is not clear if that help will be significant or not.

For decades, Roman Catholic voters have been a pivotal swing vote in U.S. presidential elections, with a majority backing the winner — whether Republican or Democrat — nearly every time.

EarthBeat spoke with seven young Christians about the election, their vote and climate change. All said climate change is affecting their lives, and all see their faith influencing how they vote.

Distinctly Catholic: Why is it that poll after poll demonstrates that Catholics and other Christians who attend church more frequently are more likely to be conservative and Republican?

Distinctly Catholic: CatholicVote.org is willing to spend $9.7 million to test the proposition that Catholic voters are Trump's best chance at a second term. But the president may be in for a surprise.

Support for President Donald Trump and presidential nominee Joe Biden from voters who identify as religious appears to adhere to earlier patterns, a Pew researcher told a Georgetown University panel Sept. 15.

Simply Spirit: In a group called "Believers for Biden," I did not expect to be so deeply moved by praying together and witnessing that our shared faith requires us to help the most vulnerable and to promote the common good.

Video: Opinion editor Olga Segura interviews national correspondent Christopher White and Global Sisters Report staff writer Soli Salgado about the Catholic vote in 2020.

Former Vice President Joe Biden addressed the faith-based anti-poverty group the Poor People's Campaign at a virtual event on Sept. 14, telling its members, "I want to be part of your movement."

Decolonizing Faith and Society: The U.S. bishops' "Faithful Citizenship" never discusses assaults on the U.S. Constitution or how the president consistently undermines Catholic moral principles.

Pushing back against single-issue voting, Lexington Bishop John Stowe said during a Sept. 10 webinar that Catholics should consider concerns beyond abortion, such as the environment, when evaluating candidates.

As Joe Biden vies to become the second Catholic U.S. president, three dozen Catholic lawmakers, ambassadors, educators and nonprofit leaders will serve as national co-chairs of "Catholics for Biden" outreach.

Commentary: Catholic teaching provides ways for voters to evaluate candidates on the basis of abortion — and of other serious issues like the pandemic or racism. No Catholic is bound to vote on the basis of abortion alone.

A look at who is trying to mobilize U.S. Catholic voters for the 2020 presidential election, Part 2: Catholics for Biden, Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Catholic Democrats and Vote Common Good

A look at who is trying to mobilize U.S. Catholic voters for the 2020 presidential election, Part 1: Catholics for Trump, CatholicVote.org, Susan B. Anthony List and Valor America.

Soon after Joe Biden tapped Kamala Harris as his running mate, some conservatives began trying to portray her as anti-Catholic — a line of attack that President Donald Trump's campaign continues to amplify as Democrats court Roman Catholic voters.

Commentary: Our understanding of mercy is impoverished. Our social inclination to the common good at rock bottom. Resurrecting the common good seems to me as urgent as any matter related to the upcoming election.

Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, has endorsed a video that includes anti-immigrant remarks and homophobic slurs by a priest of Wisconsin in which the priest claims, "You cannot be Catholic and be a Democrat."

Commentary: The God at the Democratic National Convention was far different than the God at the Republican convention. I'm afraid it's no longer true that that we worship the same "awesome God" in the blue states as in the red.

Watch: NCR Vatican correspondent Joshua J. McElwee interviews columnist Michael Sean Winters and national correspondent Christopher White on Facebook Live about the 2020 Republican National Convention.

Distinctly Catholic: Instead of articulating a consistent theme during the Republican National Convention, the party introduced more hero worship of Donald Trump than most Americans are comfortable with. The endless focus on Trump himself strikes me as a strategic blunder of the highest order. 

Distinctly Catholic: Thursday, the Republican National Convention went with "Land of Heroes," a theme I anticipated would bring sap and a shift from policy to personality — adulation of the president. I was not disappointed, but I was surprised at how imprecise the message was.

Distinctly Catholic: Praise for the president's handling of the economy was the central focus of Tuesday's theme at the Republican National Convention: "Land of Opportunity," but the schedulers could not stay on message: They mixed in videos and speeches that had nothing to do with the central economic theme.

Distinctly Catholic: The Republican National Convention's first night was a story of mixed messages, and it began with New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan offering a prayer. 

Distinctly Catholic: In trying to figure out what to expect from this week's Republican National Convention, remember that the entire thing will be dictated by Donald Trump. In that sense, all bets are off.

Watch: Executive editor Heidi Schlumpf interviews columnist Michael Sean Winters and national correspondent Christopher White on Facebook Live about the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Distinctly Catholic: At a time when the incompetence of the White House is obvious, the Democrats at least showed they could mount an entirely different kind of convention and make it work.

The state of the climate was spotlighted Aug. 19 at the Democratic National Convention, when speakers said the convergence of climate change, jobs and justice was key. Thursday, accepting the party's nomination, Joe Biden listed climate change among "a perfect storm" of "four historic crises" facing America at once.

Distinctly Catholic: Giffords, Clinton, Pelosi, Warren, Harris — on Wednesday's DNC program, women demonstrated their expertise on gun rights and immigration, on health care and foreign policy.

Distinctly Catholic: In speech after speech, the Democrats' three core totems this week have been racial justice, beating the pandemic and rebuilding the economy. Left out: any focus on abortion.

By the time of their online Zoom caucus Aug. 17, organizers of Democrats for Life knew their effort to modify the party platform language on abortion was a nonstarter.

"Prayer is speaking to God, offering Him praise, thanking Him for His many blessings, and asking for His intercession; it is not political or partisan," Dolan said of his planned prayer on the GOP convention's opening evening.

Distinctly Catholic: On the first night of the first virtual national party convention, there was no drama, but there were a lot of cameos from regular people, as well as speeches from headliners representing various wings — Sen. Bernie Sanders, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican.

About 100 current and former Democratic lawmakers from several states urged the Democratic Party's Platform Committee Aug. 14 "to moderate its official position on abortion," saying many party leaders support abortion policies "radically out of line with public opinion."

The Women-Church Convergence, a coalition of progressive, feminist Catholic organizations, urged Catholics to vote in November by listening to their consciences rather than their clergy.

Distinctly Catholic: Biden and his campaign team need to decide if they are simply aiming to get to 270 electoral votes, or if they're going for a big win — a mandate to really "heal the soul of the nation."

Commentary: Kamala Harris is a great vice presidential nominee for all Catholics who support the priorities of Pope Francis: reducing poverty, protecting the elderly, caring for immigrants, ending racism and more.

Jesuit Fr. James Martin, an editor-at-large at America Magazine and popular on social media, will be joined in prayer by a rabbi and an imam Aug. 20 at the Democratic National Convention. Also speaking at the convention will be Social Service Sr. Simone Campbell, executive directorof Network, a Catholic social justice lobby.

Thirty-three men between George Washington and John F. Kennedy served as U.S. president. Until Kennedy, all were white Anglo-Saxon Protestant men. It took 172 years for a Catholic to win the presidency.

#Every30Seconds is a new national campaign that aims to engage Latino young adults and empower them to vote in the upcoming elections this November.

The former vice president, who could be on the cusp of becoming the second Catholic president of the U.S., is hands down the most comfortable Democratic politician of his generation talking about his faith.

Watch: Executive editor Heidi Schlumpf and columnist Michael Sean Winters discuss the 2020 presidential election on Facebook Live.

The influx of Puerto Ricans, largely Catholics and Democrats, to Central Florida, is part of a state with complicated politics. The Miami area of South Florida reflects a more Democratic tilt, too, with its mix of transplanted New Yorkers and Latinos, but these voters are offset by Republican growth in other areas.

It is primarily through the votes of Catholic women and men, rooted in conscience and in faith that the Church enters into the just ordering of society and the state.