Catholic GOP ranks increase in Congress, recent survey shows.A new survey of the religious affiliations of members of Congress shows that the number of Roman Catholic Republicans is at an all-time high. There are 154 Catholics in the 109th Congress--the highest number ever--including 87 Democrats and 67 Republicans, the Religion News Service reported. While Democrats have a lead, Republicans are gaining, with two-thirds of new Catholic members coming from the GOP. Some political observers say the trend indicates a Catholic drift drift, deposit of mixed clay, gravel, sand, and boulders transported and laid down by glaciers. Stratified, or glaciofluvial, drift is carried by waters flowing from the melting ice of a glacier. toward the Republican Party. Prior to the election, several polls indicated that the Catholic vote was evenly split between President George W. Bush and challenger U.S. Sen. John E Kerry, who is Catholic. Bush ended up with 53 percent of the Catholic vote. Generally, polls show that traditionalist, more observant ob·ser·vant adj. 1. Quick to perceive or apprehend; alert: an observant traveler. See Synonyms at careful. 2. Catholics who attend mass regularly lean Republican. Those who attend services less often lean Democratic. The religious survey of Congress was conducted by Albert J. Menendez, a Maryland-based researcher who tracks the role of religion in politics. Menendez has been doing the survey of Congress since 1972. Menendez's research shows a relatively stable religious makeup makeup In the performing arts, material used by actors for cosmetic purposes and to help create the characters they play. Not needed in Greek and Roman theatre because of the use of masks, makeup was used in the religious plays of medieval Europe, in which the angels' faces since 2002, with Catholics solidifying so·lid·i·fy v. so·lid·i·fied, so·lid·i·fy·ing, so·lid·i·fies v.tr. 1. To make solid, compact, or hard. 2. To make strong or united. v.intr. their status as the largest single faith group. They are followed by Baptists with 72 members, Methodists with 61, Presbyterians with 50, Episcopalians with 42, Jews Jews [from Judah], traditionally, descendants of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, whose tribe, with that of his half brother Benjamin, made up the kingdom of Judah; historically, members of the worldwide community of adherents to Judaism. with 37, non-denominational Protestants with 24, Lutherans with 20, Mormons with 15 and those who listed simply "Christians" at 14. The survey found that Catholic members of Congress are now coming from some states that do not have a large Catholic population. For example, there are three Catholics among the 15-member North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. delegation--and all are Republicans. |
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