Evangelical voters key in state

 Socially conservative and evangelical voters are a key voting bloc among Iowa Republicans.

 A recent Des Moines Register poll showed 37 percent of likely Iowa GOP caucus participants described themselves as born-again Christians.

 Religious and social conservatives helped propel Mike Huckabee to a surprise win in the Iowa GOP caucuses in 2008.

 More recently, they rallied to oppose the retention of the three Iowa Supreme Court justices on the ballot a year ago after the court’s unanimous 2009 decision to nullify the state’s statutory ban on gay marriage.

 They have yet to coalesce around a presidential candidate this year.