Catholics have become key Clinton support base

US democrat Hillary Clinton

White Roman Catholics have become a key base for Senator Hillary Clinton in her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination and one she needs to win by a huge margin, a conference on faith and politics heard today.

William Galston of the Brookings Institution presented one of the most detailed portraits to date of the Catholic vote in last month's Pennsylvania primary, which the New York senator won to keep her battle with Illinois Senator, Barack Obama alive.

It is a portrait that has relevance as she campaigns before crucial primaries tomorrow in North Carolina and Indiana.

About a quarter of Americans consider themselves Catholic.

Galston said that while Indiana was less Catholic than many other states, 18% of people there still claimed membership in that faith and the percentage of Catholic Democratic primary voters there would probably be even higher.

The share of Catholic voters drops to about 9% in North Carolina, making it unlikely the constituency will give Clinton a significant boost there.

Obama leads in polls in North Carolina, although his once double-digit advantage over Clinton has shrunk to single digits. The two are running close in Indiana, where most polls show Clinton with a slight lead.

In Pennsylvania's April 22 Democratic primary, Clinton won 55% of the vote and Obama 45%.

Her margin of victory over Obama among white Catholics in Pennsylvania was 72% to 28%, Galston said based on exit poll data. This suggests they are a constituency that would be vital for her should she emerge as the Democratic candidate for the November presidential race against presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. –Reuters