Opinion: We called it on Catholic voters

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In his op-ed column last Saturday, Tim Rutten analyzed the importance of American Catholics in this election cycle. In fact, the candidate who carried Catholics nationally has won the popular vote in nine consecutive presidential elections. Hillary Clinton carried Catholic Democrats through Super Tuesday, then seemed to lose them — along with the campaign’s momentum — to Barack Obama.

Tuesday, according to Rutten, the New York Senator renewed her claim on Catholic loyalties and their votes were critical to her victories. According to exit polls conducted by CNN and MSNBC, Clinton won 63% of Ohio’s Catholic vote and 64% in Texas. She carried 66% of the Catholics in Rhode Island, a state where more than half the population is Roman Catholic. In Vermont, the only state he won Tuesday, Obama carried 52% of the Catholic voters.

More interesting, Catholics across the country are turning out to vote at what appears to be a record pace. So far their percentage of all primary votes cast — both Democratic and Republican — doubles their percentage of the population generally.

Apparently, as Catholics go, so goes the nation . . .at least electorally.