Voters wary of churches' role in politics

"This is surprising, as there's been a lot of commentary saying Kerry wasn't holding his own on religion," says Dr. Lugo. "These figures suggest he has made significant headway in convincing voters that he takes his faith seriously."

Lugo says the controversy with Catholic bishops may have actually worked to the senator's advantage. That controversy - in which some bishops said that the pro-choice candidate should not take communion - is one of the stunning developments of the campaign.

"This has turned history on its head," says Charles Haynes, director of education programs at Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center. "In 1960, John Kennedy tried to demonstrate he wasn't too Catholic to be president; now we have a Catholic candidate attempting to prove he is Catholic enough. Today the Catholic vote, as one-quarter of the population, is critical ... and increasingly up for grabs."

In the Pew poll, Catholics express greater opposition than other Americans to the idea of Catholic leaders denying communion to politicians who defy teachings on abortion.

While 64 percent of Americans disapprove of such action, 72 percent of Catholics called it improper.

Both parties have hit bumps in the road in attempting to engage the faithful. To shore up its religion credentials, the Democratic Party recently hired a liaison to religious organizations. But the Rev. Brenda Bartella Peterson resigned almost immediately, under fire for earlier having signed a legal brief in support of the atheist who sought to remove "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance.

Republicans have been criticized for crossing the church-state boundary to seek church rosters for help in the campaign. Some Evangelical leaders and Christian ethicists warned the action was inappropriate and endangered churches' tax-exempt status.

"I've not seen anything like that before," says Dr. Haynes. "But the criticism hasn't stopped Republicans from going directly to a demographic they know will be heavily for the president's reelection."

The Pew poll reveals opposition across denominations to political parties asking for church membership lists. Sixty-nine percent called it improper. Nearly two-thirds of Americans say churches shouldn't endorse political candidates.

On issues of highest priority to voters, the economy, terrorism, healthcare, Iraq, and education ranked most important. Swing voters' priorities more closely matched those of the Kerry camp, with the economy and healthcare topping their agendas and abortion and gay marriage at the bottom of the list. Bush supporters ranked terrorism and moral values highest, with the environment and budget deficit at the bottom.

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