The battle for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination kicks off with the Iowa Caucus on January 15, and the influential political advocacy group CatholicVote is determined to mobilize Catholic voters not just in Iowa but across the nation.

CatholicVote President Brian Burch emphasized the importance of active participation by Mass-attending Catholics in elections during an interview with "EWTN News Nightly" anchor Tracy Sabol. He expressed concern over the low voter turnout among Iowa's Catholics in the 2022 midterm elections, stating that it is the organization's aim to increase engagement through their voter mobilization program.

Burch highlighted the influence of the Catholic Church and the potential impact even a slight increase in the percentage of mass-attending Catholic voters could have on election outcomes.

With abortion being a prominent issue on voters' minds, Burch noted that all the Republican candidates in the race are pro-life to varying degrees, particularly when compared to incumbent President Joe Biden's support for what Burch called "extreme abortion advocacy."

While former President Donald Trump remains the favored candidate to secure the Republican nomination according to polls, his stance on a ban on abortions at the 15th week of pregnancy is not clear. Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley have both expressed support for such a ban, although Haley believes it is unlikely to become law.

However, a recent poll conducted by Pew revealed that approximately 46% of Catholics believe abortion pills should be legal, while only 26% believe they should be illegal, diverging from the consistent teaching of the Church on the matter. Burch expressed the need for all individuals, including bishops, priests, and laypeople, to play a role in addressing this alarming discrepancy and conveying the Church's stance that abortion undermines the sanctity of life.

Commenting on the state of the race, Catholic Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks from Iowa's First Congressional District acknowledged that the renomination of Trump is not a guaranteed outcome. Miller-Meeks highlighted the policies she appreciated from Trump's tenure and stressed the importance of selecting a candidate who can defeat Biden and enact legislation.

According to FiveThirtyEight's compilation of polls, Trump currently leads in Iowa's statewide polls with support from nearly 52% of respondents. DeSantis and Haley are closely competing for second place, polling above 17% each. Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who exited the race on January 10, trail behind.

At the national level, RealClearPolling's data indicates that Trump holds a narrow lead of about 1.2 percentage points over Biden. DeSantis trails Biden by one-third of one percentage point, while Haley enjoys a lead of 3.3 percentage points over the incumbent president.

As the Iowa Caucus approaches, the CatholicVote organization is committed to mobilizing the Catholic community's voting power and influencing the outcome of the 2024 Republican presidential nomination contest.