# Pope Leo Votes in U.S. Midterms — But Did He Go MAGA or Democrat?

- URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/pope-leo-votes-in-us-midterms-but-did-he-go-maga-or-democrat
- Published: 2026-10-30T19:06:48.486638+00:00
- Topics: pope-leo-xiv, vatican, us-midterms-2026, voting, catholic-church

## What the left says
- Pope Leo's vote reflects a consistent, decades-long pattern of civic engagement rather than a partisan statement, since he voted in both Democratic and Republican primaries over the years.
- His public comments about the 'duty' of citizens to participate in democracy align with his broader calls to reject passivity and indifference toward injustice, discrimination and violence.
- The pope's willingness to vote despite recent cancer surgery and his history of clashing with the Trump administration over immigration and war underscore that he sees civic participation as a moral obligation tied to protecting the vulnerable.
- The U.S. bishops' response emphasizes that the point isn't who he voted for but that Catholics should vote with an informed conscience centered on human dignity and the common good.

## What the right says
- The pope's voting record shows he has requested Republican primary ballots multiple times in Illinois, which some see as meaningful context even though his general election vote remains private.
- His decision to vote is framed as a straightforward exercise of his rights as a U.S. citizen who never renounced his citizenship, not an institutional Vatican endorsement of any candidate or party.
- Coverage highlights the pope's past public friction with President Trump over immigration and foreign policy, which fuels speculation about his political leanings despite the Vatican's insistence on neutrality.
- Some outlets note the practical oddity and novelty of a sitting pope mailing a ballot from Vatican City to Illinois, treating it as a historic first worth scrutinizing rather than taking at face value.

## Common ground
- The Vatican confirmed Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, submitted a mail-in ballot ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
- He requested the ballot on October 3, just before undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung, and remains registered to vote in New Lenox, Illinois.
- Records show he has voted in both Democratic and Republican primaries over the years, and the Vatican has not disclosed who he voted for in this election.
- He also voted while living and serving as a missionary and bishop in Peru for over two decades, showing a long-standing personal commitment to civic participation.

## Sources
- [Breitbart](https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/10/30/pope-leo-xiv-has-voted-in-u-s-midterms-via-mail-in-ballot/) (Right)
- [Breitbart](https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/10/29/report-pope-leo-xiv-requested-a-mail-in-ballot-for-the-illinois-midterm-elections/) (Right)
- [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-leo-xiv-votes-us-election/) (Lean Left)
- [Daily Caller](https://dailycaller.com/2026/10/30/pope-leo-first-sitting-pope-vote-us-election) (Right)
- [Daily Wire](https://www.dailywire.com/news/illinois-man-casts-mail-in-ballot-he-happens-to-be-the-pope) (Right)
- [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pope-leo-makes-history-us-election-move-confirmed-vatican) (Right)
- [Just The News](https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/pope-leo-vote-mail-illinois-midterm-election-vatican?utm_source=justthenews.com&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=external-news-aggregators) (Right)
- [PBS NewsHour](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/leo-xiv-has-become-the-first-pope-in-history-to-vote-in-a-u-s-general-election) (Lean Left)
- [The Economist](https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/04/16/potus-v-the-pope) (Lean Right)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6183683-pope-leo-xiv-votes-early-midterms-historical/) (Center)

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