Xavier Becerra became the fifth consecutive Catholic governor of California on Nov. 2. Using his religious upbringing as a backdrop to many of his political takes, Becerra’s election speaks to how varied Catholic voters can be.
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“The sanctity of life is something that’s really ingrained in you,” Becerra said in an interview earlier this year. “Then you realize that for so many Latinas, pregnancy changes their life experience, their opportunity.”
He pointed to his wife’s experience as both a Catholic obstetrician gynecologist and an adamant defender of pro-choice beliefs, “If you trust a woman, she’s going to make the right decision with regard to that pregnancy. You don’t have to worry about politics and you don’t have to worry about men,” he said. “Let that woman make the decision.”
Compared to other cultural groups, the Catholic vote is largely unpredictable.
“There is no Catholic vote,” said David Gibson, the director of Fordham University’s Center on Religion and Culture.
Yet the state’s Catholics, many of them Latino, largely voted in favor of Becerra, according to The AP Voter Poll. He is also California’s first elected Latino governor.
More Catholics live in California than any other U.S. state. A 2024 Pew Research Center poll showed that 25% of adults in California identify as Catholic, which makes up for almost half of the state’s Christians.
The trend of Catholic governors began with Gray Davis, who was elected in 1999. Some of the past four governors have spoken more openly about their faith than others. In particular, Jerry Brown attended a seminary in the 1950s.
Most recently, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s staunch support of abortion rights drew criticism from Catholic leaders in the state. “The governor and this legislature have clearly prioritized abortion over the health and wellbeing of California mothers and children,” the Archdiocese of San Francisco said in a statement..
However, Newsom announced Thursday that he would revert 500 death sentences in the state to life in prison without the possibility of parole, garnering praise from the California Catholic Conference, the church’s public policy organization in California.
“As Governor, I alone bear responsibility for this decision and its impact, just as I alone would bear responsibility for each execution,” Newsom wrote in a statement. “I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values.”
Out of every 10 voters in the recent California governor race, 2 were Catholic and most voted for Becerra, according to The AP Voter Poll. About 60% of Catholic voters favored Becerra, while the other 40% voted for his Republican opponent Steve Hilton.
Most Latino Catholics voted for Becerra, while white Catholics were divided between Hilton and Becerra.
On the national scale, Catholics are equally likely to support Democrats and Republicans.
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