The new pope, born Robert Prevost, fits ‘the profile of a former or Never Trump-type’ ex-Republican
Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Robert Prevost, voted in several Republican primaries before being elevated as successor to Pope Francis, election records obtained by the Washington Free Beacon show.
Leo XIV, who previously lived in Chicago, voted in Republican primaries during the 2012, 2014, and 2016 election cycles, according to records from conservative polling firm Pulse Decision Science.
He also voted in general elections in 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2024.
Illinois does not allow voters to register with a political party, so the pope’s voting record does not mean he was a registered Republican. The records do, however, indicate that he only voted in primary elections on the GOP side.
Federal Election Commission and Illinois State Board of Elections databases do not list the newly elected pope as having donated to any political campaigns.
Matt Knee, Pulse Decision Science’s chief data officer, told the Free Beacon the pope’s voting history and public pronouncements lead him to believe Leo XIV is a former Republican.
“The fact that he hasn’t voted in a Republican primary since 2016 and, in fact, didn’t vote in the general in ‘16—and his public statements—if I had to guess, he certainly would fit the profile of a former or Never Trump-type ex-Republican,” Knee said.
Leo XIV has over the past several years used his X account to share criticisms of President Donald Trump and in February shared a National Catholic Reporter article taking aim at Vice President J.D. Vance. He also reposted statements calling for gun control from Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting.
The last item he reposted on X before being elected pope was a message from Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo regarding the Oval Office meeting between Trump and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele and the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Leo XIV graduated from Villanova University in 1977 and can be found in the school’s yearbook.