Gay Marriage Fight Brewing Within GOP

Members outside social conservative movement are switching sides

A growing push to get Republicans to alter their position on same-sex marriage could put some of the party's major donors and political strategists in conflict with social conservative activists who make up a large part of the GOP at the grassroots level.

The debate illustrates a wider rift between Republicans who believe their party is on the wrong side of history on gay rights generally and those who feel the GOP is marginalizing the social issues that inspired millions of evangelical Christians — a large Republican voting bloc — to enter politics.