Rick Santorum Loses Catholic Vote In 2012 Michigan, Arizona Primaries

Rick Santorum spent the past week adamantly sticking up for the Roman Catholic church in its showdown with the Obama administration over contraception insurance coverage. He said that talk of full separation of church and state made him want to puke and demanded that faith always play a role in guiding political decisions. He's also a very open practicing Catholic.

Which makes the fact that he lost the Catholic vote in Michigan and Arizona to Mitt Romney all the more surprising.

CBS's exit polls show 37 percent of Catholic voters in Michigan supporting the Pennsylvania Republican and 43 percent supporting the Massachusetts Republican. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul won 8 percent and 9 percent respectively.

Meanwhile, CNN exit polls in Arizona show Romney besting Santorum among Catholic voters by a margin of 41 percent to 35 percent.

The Catholic vote was 30 percent of the voting population in Michigan and 18 percent in Arizona. But as the numbers show, Catholic voters don't cast ballots squarely for the candidate with the most public religiosity.

Comments

[TLCinRI]

12:49 PM on 03/01/2012

Makes sense , most catholics I have known or met are nothing like him...His extremism seems to offend his own religious affiliation.

[SCARLLETROSE]

08:56 AM on 03/01/2012

SANDORUM IS A JOKE. PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

[KIVPossum]

08:26 AM on 03/01/2012

Gives me renewed faith in the Catholic church

[strangetimes]

08:12 AM on 03/01/2012

As Catholic this man disgusts me. He uses his distorted religious views for personal gain.
The church has taken enough self induced black eyes without any help from him.

[SCARLLETROSE]

08:25 AM on 03/01/2012

I have to agree i also am a catholic not a church going one i do not beleive in it. it is a business which i firmly beleive should pay taxes like everyone else if they want to stick their big noses into politics. as for this man santdorm he trully disgusts me also. the crap with birth control WHO THE HELL DO YOU RPEUBLICAN MEN THINK YOU ARE. HOW DARE YOU PREACH TO ME OR ANY OTHER WOMAN ABOUT HER BODY . YOU REPUBLICANS WILL LEARN A HARD AND COSTLY LESSON COME NOVEMBER ESPECIALLY FORM THE WOMEN IN THIS COUNTRY. BANK ON IT.

[strangetimes]

04:02 PM on 03/01/2012

I do agree Catholic or not, choices about women's health or issues should be left up to individual women, not dictated by church, government or Santorum.

[joeg2028]

08:08 AM on 03/01/2012

If it looks like a skunk and smells like a skunk, Catholics think it's a skunk. Good for them for using their (common) senses.

[SCARLLETROSE]

08:27 AM on 03/01/2012

I guess this man santodum does not know the constitution MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS REPUBLICANS AND BIBLE DOPES ABOUT A WOMEN'S BODY...........................

[Skunkman]

07:43 AM on 03/01/2012

When JFK was running there was a belief that he would bow to Rome and Pope. That is why he made that Separation of Church and State speech. Santorum on the other hand would bow to Rome and Pope. He wants to take us back to the Middle Ages when the church wielded power enough to make and break kings. Sounds like he'd like to reopen the Spanish Inquisition...My way, the highway or die.

Mike:

[strangetimes]

08:12 AM on 03/01/2012

That seems to sum up his message.

[Skunkman]

05:20 PM on 03/01/2012

Hi strangetimes. Thank you for reading my post.Take care.

Fanned,

Mike:

[SCARLLETROSE]

08:33 AM on 03/01/2012

SANTORUM AND THE REST OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY want to control WOMEN THEY WANT AS YOU SAY TAKE US BACK TO 1950. well PEOPLE IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AND THAT GOP YOU CAN TAKE TO THE BANK. well are you people on the right with no lives of your own going to see that. WHEN ARE YOU PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT GOING TO LEARN YOU NEVER TELL A WOMAN WHAT SHE CAN TO CANNOT DO.

[Skunkman]

05:22 PM on 03/01/2012

Hi SCARLLETROSE: Your strong words were a welcome sight.

Fanned & faved,

Cheers,
Mike:

[jp1850]

03:08 AM on 03/01/2012

As far as I can tell, Santorum has criticized almost every christian in this country, although he's tapped danced around LDS.

He's claimed that liberal christians aren't real christians because, in his opinion, they fail to embrace every tenet of their faith. By doing so, he's attacked all church-shopping christians, many of whom are evangelicals.

He's also claimed that this country is in "shambles" because of mainline Protestantism.

Of course, he's gone after catholics who don't adhere to all of the church's rules (aka teachings).

His anti-Muslim stance is a given.

Has he started in on Jews yet?

By the time he's done, he'll be courting atheist and Mormon votes.

[1differentdrummer]

06:18 AM on 03/01/2012

And Nazi. Fanned.

[SCARLLETROSE]

08:36 AM on 03/01/2012

AMEN TO THAT. I do not know what is wrong with this man and in fact i do not know what is wrong with the whole republican party. are the sick or just STUPID. THEY won the house on the so called jobs plan. and yet what did they do NOTHING ABOUT JOBS JUST ON THE WOMEN'S WOMB.................................................................

[Annespeaks]

03:02 AM on 03/01/2012

As a catholic, as a woman, I couldn't be prouder. LAst Sunday's sermon at my church was a lesson in humility and generosity. I remember thinking to myself - how do the Santorum types identify themselves as Catholic with such anger and hatred in their hearts? I particularly remember my priest saying that under no circumstances should a true catholic ( or christian for that matter) use Christ's name for personal ideology and the we should show love and compassion to all people, regardless of their beliefs. I wonder when Santorum last went to Church? Did he listen to his priests sermon? Or is he so arrogant that he believes he knows better?

[1differentdrummer]

06:20 AM on 03/01/2012

He wears out the knees of his trousers kneeling at confession and Mass. Fanned.

[strangetimes]

08:15 AM on 03/01/2012

Thank You. Well said.
fanned

[stephen griffith]

02:18 AM on 03/01/2012

See Ricky, you're just too extreme. No one is saying you can't have your faith, but you can't impose it on others either.

[SCARLLETROSE]

08:47 AM on 03/01/2012

EXACTLY. I do not care what people do, HOWEVER TO NOT TRY AND FORCE YOUR BELIEFS ON OTHERS. YOU WILL LOSE.

[Milos Bathory Mijajlovic]

01:05 AM on 03/01/2012

This guy is a joke. The fact the media tries to take him seriously is even a bigger joke. His foreign policy plans is as right winged as it gets. Also he's nothing compared to Kennedy. He's done more good deeds in one stroke of the pen than Santorum has for 7 years in Pennsylvania...speaking of which he hasn't been in office for 5 years and lost his office in the biggest defeat since 1980 as a incumbent by 20%. If he's the GOP nominee Obama will win again.

[SCARLLETROSE]

08:50 AM on 03/01/2012

THE MEDIA IN THIS COUNTRY IS A JOKE. IT is very sad and PATHETIC. THE RIGHT in this country have been trying for years to bring us back in time especally when it comes to abortion and birth control and gays. WELL LITTLE TOADS IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

[Cobra69]

12:46 AM on 03/01/2012

Ayatollah Santorum sounds very little like a Catholic and a lot like an evangelical. He doesn't realize that this is 2012, not 1812. People fought for, and won voting rights, women's rights, and religious rights. When he sets himself up as judge of people's theologies, he will start outlawing those who don't believe in him. His idea of "freedom of religion" is that he is free to define your religion. But then, the entire Republican field has just been one joke after another.

[JoyC124]

12:36 AM on 03/01/2012

"Which makes the fact that he lost the Catholic vote in Michigan and Arizona to Mitt Romney all the more surprising."

seriously?

Look Santorum is spewing __ that the Catholic leadership is saying, not what actual lay people believe (the contraception thing is a good example) there is a huge disconnect between lay believes and the leadership that is lobbying in Washington...what is puzzling is why Democrats area kiss up to these guys.

[Bardoo]

12:00 AM on 03/01/2012

The US is such a diverse melting pot that I can't imagine anyone taking R.S. and his outrageous beliefs seriously and yet, I see it and hear it on the news every day. The GOP is a fragmented representation of a has been intelligent political party and is no longer capable of leadership by any definition. And in particular, Rick S and his holier than thou attitude.

[SCARLLETROSE]

08:54 AM on 03/01/2012

EXCELLENT.

[cdchicago]

12:00 AM on 03/01/2012

One word rick. "Women". Oh and by the way, when you suggested Obama was trying to get kids to attend college to erase their engagement in religion, I do not think it pertained to catholic colleges like Notre Dame and Loyola such. Consider getting a teleprompter and stop telling us what you really think.

[jp1850]

02:28 AM on 03/01/2012

Not just women. People of any sex and religion who examine their faith in the context of community needs know that Santorum is a dangerous fanatic.

[dimplasm]

11:49 PM on 02/29/2012

That's because he's Southern Baptist in reality.

[jp1850]

02:29 AM on 03/01/2012

That's an insult to Southern Baptists.

[whitetrashathiest]

04:11 PM on 03/01/2012

Maybe all Baptists.Fav'd.