Reince Priebus, Gage Skidmore via Creative Commons

Last week, many of the Republican leaders who are likely to run in the 2016 presidential election joined Christian Evangelist activists for the "Road to Majority," a three-day conference hosted by the Faith and Freedom Coalition.

The speakers at the conference urged attendees to uphold their traditional values. They emphasized the need for solidary in spite of debates that have emerged in response to the far right’s instant opposition to same sex marriage and abortion laws.

“Contrary to conventional wisdom, the pro-life, pro-family and pro-marriage positions that candidates have taken and will take in the future are not a liability at the ballot box,” said Faith and Freedom Coalition founder Ralph Reed to the Associated Press. “They’re an asset.” 

Nationally recognized GOP leaders including Sarah Palin, Rand Paul and Rick Perry spoke at the conference, discussing potential strategies for the Republican Party to regain a foothold in national politics.

Sarah Palin came out in support of far-right conservatives, even people whom some party members believe are isolating GOP voters: 

“You do not marginalize, you don’t discredit and dismiss, every day average hard-working Americans – those who are part of that grass-roots tea party movement,” Palin said during the conference. “We’d do well to re-dedicate ourselves to our one true heavenly Father.”

Palin also denounced plans for immigration reforms that could potentially provide illegal immigrants a chance at full citizenship.

Other speakers echoed Palin and Reed, employing traditional, religious and politically conservative rhetoric to appeal to the religious conservatives at the conference. Social issues including immigration reform, abortion and same-sex marriage were at the heart of the discussions. 

Religious voters are a passionate and reliable voting block, making them an indispensable asset to the GOP.

In fact, exit polls after the 2012 elections have shown that factors such as religion, church attendance and the frequency with which people attend religious services appear positively correlated with the percentage of Republican votes in a given demographic. 

Other leaders in the GOP are more wary of the fact that although these religious conservatives are ardent supporters, they are also a minority. Appealing to this small sector of the population runs the risk of alienating more moderate republicans by eschewing the political value of the voter majority on controversial social issues.

The Republican National Committee released a report just three months ago that suggested the future of the GOP would rely on more tolerant, moderate attitudes towards social issues, rather than far-right leaning perspectives.

“When it comes to social issues, the party must in fact and deed be inclusive and welcoming. If we are not, we will limit our ability attract young people and others, including many women, who agree with us on some but not all issues,” reads a particularly salient part of the report.

On the last day of the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference, chairman of the RNC Reince Priebus urged the religious conservatives to consider political tolerance.

“I would just ask you that we come together and that we pray for the future of this country,” Priebus said. “I’m a Christian. I’m a believer. God lives in my heart. And I’m for changing minds, not changing values.”

The RNC and other GOP leaders are urging extreme social conservatives to consider more tolerant attitudes, but it does not appear that these super-conservative Republican powers are going to reconsider their stance anytime soon.

Gabriel Gomez, an up-and-coming Republican, embodies a more moderate republicanism with his Senate campaign in Massachusetts. Gomez has the potential to become the poster child for a ‘new’ Republican image. He is moderate, tolerant and sympathetic to liberal causes like climate change, same-sex marriage and even gun control.

RNC Priebus agrees. “I wish we could have 100 Gabriel Gomezes out there in our party,” Priebus told ABC News.

However, with just five days until the Massachusetts election to fill John Kerry’s Senate seat, Republican candidate Gomez is facing fierce competition from the Democratic candidate Edward Markey. 

While the GOP is notorious for being heavily funded by outside political organizations coordinated by the likes of the Koch Brothers and other wealthy social conservatives, Gomez is facing a strange and unusual lack of support from such national Republican donors during the time he needs it the most.

Reports claim that the Markey campaign has spent $8.6 million, eclipsing the $3.5 million spent by Gomez supporters. 

If the GOP cares at all about getting on the "Road to Majority," Republican leaders need to take Phiebus’s advice and begin embracing more tolerant attitudes, starting with lending their support to promising politicians like Gabriel Gomez who have the potential to revive the Republican Party and reinvigorate young Republican voters.

Contact Staff Reporter Benjamin Li here.