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Santorum's Antigay Agenda Not a Hit With Catholics

Santorum's Antigay Agenda Not a Hit With Catholics

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As Rick Santorum suspends his presidential campaign, observers are noting that his antigay rhetoric was not a sure winner with his fellow Roman Catholics.

The pro-LGBT group Catholics for Equality issued a statement pointing out that exit polls in several key primary states indicated that "Catholic voters rejected his theocratic agenda, including his irrational obsession with stripping LGBT citizens of all legal recognition and protection. In most states Santorum was rejected by Catholics several percentage points more than he was rejected by the public at large."

Santorum often received greater support from evangelical Protestants than from Catholics. In Ohio's primary last month, for instance, Santorum won 31% of the Catholic vote and front-runner Mitt Romney 43%, according to a CNN exit poll. Among evangelicals, 47% cast their votes for Santorum, 30% for Romney. The state as a whole went narrowly for Romney over Santorum, 38% to 37%. In Michigan, CNN reported, 44% of Catholics went for Romney to 42% for Santorum, while 51% of evangelicals preferred Santorum and 35% voted for Romney. Romney took the state with 41% of the vote to Santorum's 38%.

"American Catholics overwhelmingly support full legal equality for LGBT people," said Catholics for Equality executive director Phil Attey. "And not even Republican Catholics share Santorum's belief that U.S. public policy should be dictated by the Vatican." Find out more about Catholics for Equality here.

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.