BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: The gay marriage issue is energizing religious conservatives to turn out voters on Election Day, which could help Republicans. Evangelicals have been one of the most important voting blocs for the GOP, but recently there's been growing dissatisfaction in the ranks. Last week, Kim Lawton looked at the Democrats' new outreach to people of faith. Today, she reports on the relationship between Republicans and religious conservatives.

KIM LAWTON: In a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee, Carolyn Hickerson has distributed nearly 10,000 yard signs in support of traditional marriage. Amendment One, on the state ballot in November, would define marriage as between a man and a woman, and it would ensure that Tennessee not be forced to recognize any other forms of marriage allowed elsewhere. Hickerson is an evangelical Christian who is rallying church support for the measure.

CAROLYN HICKERSON (Evangelical Activist): Based on the Scriptures, they should have an opinion on the family and the sanctity of marriage and how important the family is to our nation.

LAWTON: Conservative religious activists continue to mobilize around the issue of marriage. The New Jersey Supreme Court's decision in the gay marriage case has provided new momentum for the religious right to get out the vote.

LAWTON: Mark Rozell, professor of public policy at George Mason University, says same-sex marriage is a galvanizing issue for religious conservatives.

Professor MARK ROZELL (George Mason University): If you talk to a lot of leaders in the movement, they will tell you quite candidly that for their fundraising purposes, for their fundraising letters and so forth, that's the number one issue right up there. That's the big threat that activists at the grassroots feel.

LAWTON: The New Jersey decision could provide an electoral boost for Republican candidates. In recent weeks, many religious conservatives had been voicing strong frustration with their usual ally, the Republican Party -- a development that could have serious implications at the polls.

Prof. ROZELL: The Republicans need a solid, enthusiastic turnout among those voters in order to be successful.

LAWTON: Religious conservatives have been a mainstay of the Republican coalition. In the 2004 election, 78 percent of all evangelicals voted for George W. Bush. That represented 40 percent of his total vote. But there have been several cracks in that coalition. According to a new Pew Forum survey, less than half of all evangelicals now think the GOP is friendly toward religion. That's a 14 percent drop from just a year ago.

With the declining influence of organizations like the Christian Coalition, James Dobson of Focus on the Family has become perhaps the most influential national leader for conservative evangelical political activism, and he's been speaking openly about his disillusionment.

Dr. JAMES DOBSON (Founder and Chairman, Focus on the Family, speaking at DC summit): I have been extremely disappointed with what the Republicans have done with the power that they were given. There was so much said about values voters, that the values voters made the difference. Well, if that's true, why did not the Republicans when they had the power in both the House and the Senate pay attention to what the values voters cared about? And they didn't.

Prof. ROZELL: And I think it hits a boiling point at a certain point with many in the religious conservative movement that they feel they've been faithful to the Republican Party. They've gone out there and worked real hard for Republican Party candidates, and time and time again, they feel that their agenda has been largely put on the backburner at the federal level.

Reverend HARRY JACKSON (Pastor, Hope Christian Church): We should have said, "We get something for our participation."

LAWTON: Reverend Harry Jackson is pastor of an evangelical megachurch in Maryland. He's helped lead the fight against gay marriage and has tried to mobilize conservative African-American voters. He says evangelicals cannot allow Republicans to ignore their priorities.

Rev. JACKSON: As an African American, I believe over the years blacks have been taken for granted by the Democratic Party, and I've said this to evangelical leaders. We've allowed ourselves to be considered the new blacks on the political plantation -- strong words, but a real feeling I have.

LAWTON: Another complication, Jackson says, is growing concern among some values voters about how the Iraq war is going. The question is, what will they base their votes on?

Rev. JACKSON: The war versus same-sex marriage? It shouldn't be either-or. It should be both-and, and us really voting for a better America.

LAWTON: Tony Perkins of the faith-based Family Research Council says the scandal surrounding former Republican congressman Mark Foley's e-mails to underage male pages has also burned bridges between religious conservatives and the Republicans.

TONY PERKINS (President, Family Research Council): I think the whole episode with Foley and the party has some sitting back saying, "You know, all this talk about the big tent strategy -- this looks more like a three-ring circus. I'm just not sure if this is the party I want to be a part of."

LAWTON: At the same time, religious conservatives have faced increasing criticism from within the Republican Party. On his Web site, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, himself an evangelical, called James Dobson a "bully" seeking inappropriate government influence.