California voters have elected Xavier Becerra as the state’s new governor, marking the first time a Latino has won the office. The victory continues a five‑governor streak of Catholic leaders in the Golden State.
Catholic influence on the election
The AP Voter Poll, which surveyed roughly 100,000 midterm voters, found that about two‑in‑ten voters in the governor’s race identified as Catholic. Of those, six‑in‑ten backed Becerra, while four‑in‑ten supported his Republican opponent, Steve Hilton.
Latino Catholics were especially supportive, with seven‑in‑ten voting for Becerra, whereas white Catholic voters were more evenly split between the two candidates.
Faith and politics intersect
While Becerra’s Catholic upbringing informs his personal values, he has taken positions that diverge from traditional Church teaching, notably supporting abortion rights. This reflects the broader complexity of American Catholics, who do not vote as a monolithic bloc.
Experts such as David Gibson, director of Fordham University’s Center on Religion and Culture, note that “there is no Catholic vote,” emphasizing that religious affiliation often crosses partisan lines.
Broader religious landscape
California remains the state with the largest Catholic population in the nation, with 25 % of adults identifying as Catholic, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center poll. The state’s Catholic community is ethnically diverse, including many immigrants from Latin America and the Philippines.
Leaders within the Church have taken varied stances on current policies. San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas recently excused parishioners from weekly Mass attendance after immigration detentions on church property, while San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone barred Rep. Nancy Pelosi from Communion over her abortion‑rights stance.
Governor Newsom’s actions
Governor Gavin Newsom, also a Catholic, announced plans to convert more than 500 death‑row sentences to life without parole, a move praised by the California Catholic Conference as aligning with the Church’s opposition to state‑sanctioned killing.
These developments illustrate the nuanced relationship between faith and politics in California, where Catholic teachings on issues such as the death penalty and abortion intersect with a diverse electorate’s values.
Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.
