Statistical Mischief and "The Catholic Vote"

Why the focus on Catholics?

Because Catholics represent the largest religious denomination in the nation and Catholic voters are disproportionately represented in many of the critical “swing” states a presidential candidate needs to win.

But contrary to much of what you might read, because of the very size and diversity of the Catholic population, it would be an error to consider this large group of voters as somehow constituting a “voting bloc” – a bloc somehow broadly receptive to political appeals aimed at Catholics-as-Catholics.