One morning, everybody was surprised to learn that Kamala Harris wasn't attending the Al Smith Dinner. Critics might say the dinner is just to please conservative New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan and his wealthy friends. But my 15 years of experience in faith-based political organizing showed that it's much more important. This dinner is about getting the attention of Hispanic Catholics in places like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia right before the election.

My worries were correct. The efforts to support Kamala Harris with Catholic arguments were drowned out by her absence. This only fed the negative media talk that Harris and the Democrats were against Catholics. The video her campaign showed instead didn’t hit the right note. It felt like it was made by people who thought their Catholic school education was enough to understand Catholic voters everywhere.

The Al Smith Dinner has always been a big chance to talk to Catholic voters and show that you want to find common ground, even on tough issues. By not going, it seemed like Harris and her team deliberately ignored an important group of voters. This is part of a bigger problem – the Democratic Party's uncomfortable relationship with faith communities.

Joe Biden's campaigns were different. He talked a lot about his Catholic faith, and how it guided his values and policies. In 2020, his campaign ran ads for Catholic voters, focusing on his faith-driven moral compass. He went to many faith-based events, showing his respect for Catholic voters and their concerns. This really helped him in states with lots of Catholic voters.

Kamala Harris' 2024 campaign, on the other hand, didn’t really try to connect with Catholic voters. She didn't run ads for them or talk much about their concerns on important issues. Skipping the Al Smith Dinner showed this clearly. Many Catholic voters felt like their voices and beliefs weren’t welcome in the Democratic Party. In states where Catholic voters can sway elections, this was a big mistake.

The Democratic Party has been drifting away from religious voices, which has made many religious voters feel left out. For Catholics, this is very clear with the issue of abortion. While some Catholics support abortion in certain cases, many others want stricter limits or don’t support it at all. The party’s strong stance on reproductive choice after Dobbs is expected, but not talking to voters who disagree is a mistake.

This makes it hard for pro-life or moderate Catholics to feel at home in the Democratic Party, even if they agree on other important issues. The Democrats’ struggle to connect with religious voters has a high political cost. Catholics are diverse and often key swing voters in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. By not trying to win them over, Harris’ campaign gave ground to the Republicans, who are better at linking their platform to faith and values.

Even Donald Trump, who isn’t seen as a very religious person, knew how to reach out to Catholics. His campaign showed the Republican Party as the protector of religious freedom and traditional values. This helped him win in key states.

To fix this, the Democratic Party needs to address its "God problem. " Future candidates should talk to religious voters, even on difficult issues, and find ways to agree. They should run targeted ads like Biden did and always attend events like the Al Smith Dinner. This would show that the party really cares about the beliefs and concerns of religious communities.

Many Democrats think the party shouldn’t try to connect with Catholics because of things like the sex abuse scandal and the Church's views on abortion and gay marriage. But ignoring 40 million potential voters because of their leaders' actions is wrong. A Democratic Party that loses badly among Catholics won’t do well in many parts of the country.

Why Did Kamala Harris Lose Catholic Voters?

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