Email from Martin Gillespie

Email from Martin Gillespie, Director of Catholic Outreach, Republican National Committee:

With the post-election number-crunching completed, we as Catholics can be proud that the Catholic vote went to President Bush by a margin of 52%-47%! The President was the right candidate for Catholics, and the election results reflect that.

We now know that President Bush decidedly improved his standing among Catholic voters since his 2000 election, when he lost the Catholic vote to former Vice President Al Gore, 47%-50%. This eight-point net gain represents more than 2.5 million new Catholic votes for President Bush. Over thirty-two million Catholics voted in this election, and almost seventeen million of those Catholics voted for President Bush.

Other notable facts about the election include:

- Among Catholics who attend mass weekly, the President won 56%-43%;
- The first time since 1988 that a Republican presidential candidate has won the Catholic vote;
- This election marked the first time that a Catholic major party candidate for President has lost the Catholic vote;
- The President outperformed his national average with Catholics in key battleground states, winning the Catholic vote in critical states such as Ohio (55%- 44%) and Florida (57%-42%).

We will continue to make clear that the Republican Party is a natural choice for Catholics. In this respect, please expect to hear from us in the months ahead with our continued plans to build Catholic support for the President and his initiatives.

Again, thank you for participating in this successful campaign. You made a difference!