Good Intentions A History of Catholic Voters' Road from Roe to Trump

"Though often labelled the 'swing vote' in US national elections, the Catholic vote has long confounded political analysts. That has never been more true than since Catholic voters helped anchor Donald J. Trump's unexpected 2016 presidential victory. Millies skillfully puts the Trump victory in the context of a nearly half-century long evolution of Catholic voting, and in so doing he showcases more clearly than others what underlies the motivations of politically-engaged Catholics. Much more than a conventional political analysis, Millies's book goes deep into Catholic history, tradition, and theology to provide a deep understanding of the various forces that drive Catholic voting. Highly recommended."

"This book aims to cover a broad range of issues and does so exceptionally well."

"The American Catholic population has never been more divided: half voted for Donald Trump while half voted for Hilary Rodham Clinton. How did our divisions become so deep and bitter? Steven Millies's perceptive history allows us to make sense of the past, and to move toward common ground in the future."

"Good Intentions should be required reading for those who want to understand the complex and unique history of the relationship between Catholics and politics in the United States, from Roe v. Wade to the election of Trump. Millies's book will greatly help our understanding of the dramatic expansion of the gap between liberals and conservatives in these last two decades, especially within the wider context of the history of the intra-Catholic division in American cultural and political life."

"President Trump's Catholic supporters descended from immigrants we used to call `white ethnics.' So, the white Catholic embrace of Donald Trump in 2016 raised eyebrows in the Church and among political and cultural observers. Whether you find this development exciting or embarrassing, Professor Steven Millies explains how and why it happened with rigor and insight. Drawing on his years of careful learning and study, Millies has written an important book on the Catholic vote in the Trump Era."

"Good Intentions traces recent US Catholic history to illuminate the contours of the contemporary public church and present political moment. Steven Millies's engaging narrative deftly navigates enduring tensions at intersections of theology, law, and politics in view of the impact of cultural and religious polarization in the postconciliar church. His subtle, interdisciplinary analysis offers valuable insights into questions of conscience, political engagement, and Catholic identity that will prove helpful to those interested in a forging a path forward beyond the binary thinking and divisive patterns he identifies."