The first Pope Leo XIV in the United States voted in the past Republican primary, but it did not officially register with either party.
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Published on May 11, 2025
Hours after Robert Prevost became the first Pope Leo Xiv in the United States on May 8, American social media debated speculation about whether Pope Leo Xiv, whom he was famous after the election, was a "registered Republican."
Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk wrote on social media platform X on May 8: "Spoon: Our Turning Point Action Team has won voting history for Pope Lion King XIV." He is a registered Republican who voted in the Republican primary while living abroad. Our data show that he is a strong Republican, he is a strong Republican, and he is a biological life. ”
Many other X posts called Prevost are "Registered Republicans".
Prevost, 69, is a registered voter in Will County, Illinois, who has voted for the past 13 years. In Illinois, voters do not register as partisan. But, according to the Illinois Election Commission’s April videotape, they declared a party when they voted in the primary.
"However, you are not bound or formally registered with the party and can vote freely in subsequent elections," the video said.
Illinois voter registration application does not require people to provide partisan affiliation.
The office of Will County staff sent voter information from Politifact Prevost, which attributes its party as "unannounced." It shows that he voted in the 2012, 2014 and 2016 Republican primary. He voted for absentees in the 2024 general election and did not declare party affiliation.
Virus Screenshots Kirk and others shared on X are from L2, a paid database that aggregates consumer and voter data. L2's Prevost profile lists "Republicans" in its "partisan" field.
The new pope is a registered Republican! pic.twitter.com/bj8mh8h2qs
- Jared Xiao💁🏼♀️ (@jaredsmall) May 8, 2025
It is not clear how L2 determines the party of people living in states such as Illinois, and this information is not included in the voter registration. L2 did not respond to Politifact's request for comment.
Born in 1955, Prevost grew up in Dalton, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He was appointed a pastor in 1982 and then moved to Peru, where he lived from 1988 to 1998. In 1999, he returned to Chicago as the former province of Augustine's "Mother of Good Lawyers", covering the Midwest and Canada.
Prevost's voter documents list their address as a home owned by his brother John Prevost. We cannot determine the address of Robert Prevost or the place where he registered to vote before 2012. In 2014, he returned to Peru from 2015 to 2023 and served as Bishop of Chiclayo. Then he moved to Rome where he lived.
U.S. citizens who live overseas and meet certain criteria can vote abroad.
We contacted the clerk’s office in Cook County, where Chicago is located, to ask if Prefoster has voter profiles in the county. The clerk’s office directed us to submit the Freedom of Information Act to request that information; we did so, but received no immediate response.
Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, professor of religious studies and political science at Northwestern University in suburban Chicago, said Prefoster’s voting history did not tell the public “about his opinion or position, except in that particular elementary school, he tended toward one or more Republican candidates.”
X's post says Prest is a "registered Republican".
Prevost voted in Illinois, where voters do not register for a party affiliation. However, they declare affiliation on a party when they vote in the primary election. County records show that from 2012 to 2016, Prevost voted in three Republican primary elections, the latest record we have obtained.
Nevertheless, the Illinois Election Commission said that when voters participate in the primary, they are not officially registered with one party.
No one has registered in partisan affiliation in Illinois, and evidence shows that Prest has had very little voting history throughout his life.
The statement contains elements of truth but ignores critical facts. We rate this Mainly wrong.
Political researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this fact check.