Xavier Becerra, a Democrat and former U.S. health and human services secretary, has been elected as California's governor, marking the fifth consecutive time the state has chosen a Catholic for the office. The result continues a streak that began with Gray Davis in 1999 and underscores the deep, yet politically complex, roots of Catholicism in the state. Becerra is the first Latino to hold the governorship in California, a milestone attributed in part to strong support from Catholic voters, particularly within the Latino community.
The election highlights a national trend where American Catholics remain a politically mixed bag, defying simple partisan categorization. David Gibson, director of Fordham University’s Center on Religion and Culture, noted that there is no singular 'Catholic vote,' contrasting this with more politically reliable religious groups such as white evangelicals or Black Protestants. In California, where 25% of adults identify as Catholic according to a 2024 Pew Research Center poll, the faith is woven into the cultural fabric, influencing policy debates on issues ranging from abortion to capital punishment.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive voices point to the election of Xavier Becerra as a validation of Catholic social teaching's alignment with Democratic priorities on economic justice and immigrant rights. Becerra, who has cited the 'sanctity of life' as ingrained in his politics, has reconciled this with support for abortion rights, a stance shared by previous Catholic governors like Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom. The California Catholic Conference, the public policy organization representing the church, celebrated outgoing Governor Gavin Newsom's recent action to commute more than 500 death sentences to life without parole, a move Newsom described as incompatible with state values.
Many Democratic Catholics argue that their faith compels a focus on systemic issues such as poverty and immigration enforcement. San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas exemplified this perspective when he formally excused parishioners from weekly Mass attendance obligations following immigration detentions on parish properties, a move that subverted Trump administration policies. Advocates within the party view these actions as consistent with the church's emphasis on service to others and respect for nature, values that residents like Tracy Creighton describe as both deeply Catholic and Californian.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative Catholics and Republican leaders emphasize traditional church teachings on life and family, often highlighting tensions with Democratic candidates. San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone took a high-profile stance in 2022 by barring U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi from receiving Communion over her support for abortion rights, illustrating the friction between some church leaders and pro-choice Democratic politicians. Republican strategist Steve Hilton, Becerra's opponent in the gubernatorial race, garnered approximately 4 in 10 votes from Catholic voters, reflecting a significant segment of the faith community that aligns with conservative platforms.
Critics on the right argue that the political left has co-opted religious language while rejecting core doctrines. Some Catholic voters, such as Brian Murillo, a lapsed Catholic from Fresno, expressed dissatisfaction with the American church's perceived alignment with Republican politics, yet still maintain personal religious practices. Despite this, conservative voices continue to stress the importance of adhering to official teachings against abortion and in vitro fertilization, viewing these issues as non-negotiable markers of Catholic identity in the public square.
What the Numbers Show
According to The AP Voter Poll, which surveyed roughly 100,000 midterm voters, about 2 in 10 voters in the California governor’s race identified as Catholic. Of that group, about 6 in 10 supported Xavier Becerra, while about 4 in 10 backed his Republican opponent, Steve Hilton. The data reveals a stark divide along ethnic lines: about 7 in 10 Latino Catholics voted for Becerra, whereas white Catholics were split between the two candidates.
Nationally, the political alignment of Catholics has shifted modestly. While Catholics were split evenly between Democrats and Republicans in this cycle, AP VoteCast data from 2024 showed that just over half of U.S. Catholics voted for Donald Trump. In California, the Catholic population is the largest in the United States, with Pew Research Center data from 2024 indicating that 25% of adults in the state identify as Catholic, accounting for nearly half of the state’s Christian population. The state's Catholic demographics are increasingly diverse, with many immigrants from Latin America and the Philippines.
The Bottom Line
California's streak of electing Catholic governors demonstrates that religious identity in the state does not predictably translate into partisan loyalty. The election of Xavier Becerra reflects a coalition of Latino Catholic voters and progressive whites who prioritize economic and social justice issues, even when those positions diverge from church hierarchy on matters like abortion. The legacy of the state's Catholic missions, a subject of ongoing educational reform under laws signed by former Governor Newsom to include Native perspectives on mistreatment, continues to shape cultural identity. As California moves forward under new leadership, the interplay between faith-based values and secular policy will remain a defining feature of its political landscape.