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Democrats Splitting Catholic Vote, Expert Says
Democrats across the nation are succeeding in splitting the conservative Catholic vote, which could deprive Republicans of a vital voting bloc heading into Election Day.
George Marlin, an experienced author and election analyst, says reliably Republican voters are now being enticed to jump parties because of strong feelings on key social issues such as abortion.
In an exclusive interview with NewsMax.com, Marlin said these so-called "Reagan Democrats" have been voting Republican in recent years, but are now being peeled away by successful Democratic Party efforts to win key races. "In races around the country the Democratic Party has effectively split the Catholic vote, and a prime example is Pennsylvania, where [Republican Senator] Rick Santorum may go down," Marlin said.
"Pennsylvania is the most pro-life state in the nation and those pro-lifers are, for the most part, Democrats who for years have been looking for a reason to come back home," he continued. "They found one in [Democratic challenger] Bob Casey, who is also pro-life. As a result I think you are going to see a split in the Catholic vote there, which is the base vote for Santorum and will be a contributing factor to his probable defeat next Tuesday."
Marlin says the fact that Casey is also "pro-gun," which is uncommon among many Democratic candidates, also helps in Pennsylvania.
Turning to the national election picture, Marlin says there are races around the country where "they [Democrats] are trying to co-opt the Catholic vote by putting up people that appear to be pro-life and are edging away that vote, and in very close elections that will matter."
Marlin, a former executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, recalled what happened in New York in 1976 when Senator Jim Buckley was elected as a Conservative Party candidate. When Buckley was up for re-election, he ran against Democrat Patrick Moynahan. Buckley lost.
"It was the same thing [as in Pennsylvania this year]; the Catholic vote split," Marlin said. "Moynahan appeared to be more Irish than Buckley and [implied] that he was more Catholic as well, and he won." Marlin said the Casey-Santorum race is exactly like that.
"When you split the Catholic vote, the Democrats win," he said. "The Democratic Party is effectively chipping away at the more conservative Catholic vote by putting up candidates like Bob Casey who are either pro-life or [imply] they're pro-life. ... [The Democrats] just chip away, and in tightly contested races they will rule the day."
Editor's note:
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