Pope Leo XIV votes in US midterm elections, the first pope to do so

Pope Leo XIV has cast a mail-in ballot in Illinois for the US midterm congressional elections, making him the first pope to take part in a US election. The midterms will decide which party controls Congress and will significantly affect the final years of President Donald Trump's term.

The Holy See Press Office, the Vatican's official communications body, said the pope believes in the right and duty of citizens to take part in democratic processes. It added that Leo XIV has voted as a US citizen whenever he was eligible, including during his years in Peru.

Background

Chicago-born Leo XIV became the first US citizen to lead the Catholic Church when he was chosen in May 2025. Since then he has clashed with the Trump administration over several issues, including immigration enforcement and the US-Israel war with Iran.

According to NBC News, the pope requested his ballot from the Will County Clerk's Office on 3 October. Less than two weeks later, the Vatican announced that he had undergone surgery to remove a lower lobe of his right lung after a lung cancer diagnosis. Last week the Vatican confirmed that the 71-year-old pope will travel as planned to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in early November.

Tensions with the president rose in April, when the pope called for peace after US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Trump responded that he did not think the pope was doing a very good job and that he did not like a pope who says a nuclear weapon is acceptable. Leo later said, according to Reuters, that the Church's mission is to preach the Gospel and peace.

The election

The nationwide vote takes place on 3 November, and early voting has already begun in most states. Polls suggest Democrats are favourites to win control of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress, and to gain seats in Republican-leaning areas that backed Trump heavily in 2024. Democrats also appear to have a chance of winning additional Senate seats.