The New York Times exit poll from yesterday’s presidential election shows Republican candidate Donald Trump winning among Catholic voters 52-45 over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
This is a marked change from the 2012 presidential race, in which Democrat Barack Obama bested Republican Mitt Romney among Catholics 50-48. In 2016, not only did Catholic voters opt for the Republican over the Democrat, but the margin of victory was significantly larger this time around: Trump won Catholics by 7 points, whereas Obama won them by 2.
The NYT exit poll shows Trump had an even more resounding victory among white Evangelicals—81-16 over Clinton (non-white Evangelicals aren’t mentioned in the NYT poll). Trump also led Clinton among churchgoers who attend services once a week and up to a few times a month; Clinton had a tiny lead among those who say they attend a few times a year and a strong lead—62-31—among those who say they never attend church.
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