Poll: Biden, Trump Nearly Tied Among Catholic Voters in Key Swing States

Joe Biden and Donald Trump are running neck and neck among Catholic voters in six of the nation's most important swing states, according to a new poll.

Trump and Biden are statistically tied among Catholic voters in the battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, according to an EWTN News/RealClear Opinion Research poll. Trump trails the Catholic Democrat by a 52-40 margin nationwide, but that lead falls within the margin of error in the states that are likely to determine the presidential election. Trump won the Catholic vote in 2016, but RealClear Opinion Research polling director John Della Volpe said that the president's reelection will depend on whether he can appeal to such voters in the closing days of the race.

"These poll results are a wake-up call for President Donald Trump who appears to be trailing his opponent Joe Biden among Catholic voters," Volpe said in a statement. He pointed to Biden's strength on the coronavirus as a major consideration for Catholic voters nationwide.

Respondents cited the economy, coronavirus, and health care as their three biggest priorities as they head to the polls. A majority of voters also listed Supreme Court appointments, abortion, and religious freedom as voting priorities, which could bolster Trump's improved numbers in the swing states. Trump's positions on religious issues give him a sturdier standing among regular churchgoers with 78 percent of respondents saying they are more likely to support candidates who seek to protect religious freedom. A majority said they are less likely to support a candidate who backs taxpayer-funded or unrestricted abortion.

Trump also may have found a winning issue with the nomination of appeals court judge and Notre Dame Law School professor Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Catholics favored Barrett's confirmation by nearly 20 points with just 28 percent expressing opposition. Two-thirds of respondents said a nominee's faith should not be a topic for questioning during confirmation hearings.