Washington D.C., Sep 20, 2008 / 01:31 am
A new poll shows Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain leading his Democratic counterpart Sen. Barack Obama by a 16 percent margin among Catholics who attend church weekly. Some of McCain’s new strength is being attributed to his selection of running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
The results of the Pew Research Center’s survey of 2,307 likely voters were released on Thursday. The survey claims a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent.
The survey shows McCain leading Obama among Catholics who attend church weekly 52 to 36 percent, differing from August results which showed the group slightly preferring McCain by 45 to 42 percent.
Catholics who attend church less than weekly are almost evenly split, preferring Obama by 46 to 45 percent. In August, the same group of Catholics preferred Obama over McCain by 46 to 44 percent.