Implications for GOP The new stance could have big implications for Republicans heading into the 2016 presidential election. Evangelicals are an influential bloc of the party and if the community eases its opposition to same-sex marriage, that could make it easier for candidates to do the same. The party is under pressure to expand its appeal to young people and minorities and an openness to gay marriage could help that effort. Hambycast: Rand Paul's campus challenge Of course, there's still plenty of opposition to same-sex marriage among Republicans. And the issue is a big fundraising motivator for the party and its allies. Vincent Harris, a 26-year-old digital strategist who's worked for evangelical favorites like Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee said social issues including gay marriage remain very potent to the Republican electorate. ` Joke notion ' Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, dismissed talk of an evangelical shift as a joke notion. People are still charged up about this, Brown said. There's not been enough standing up for marriage especially in the wake of what is essentially a constitutional crisis. Daly, whose daily Focus on the Family radio broadcast reach more than 2.9 million listeners weekly, is nowhere close to endorsing same-sex unions and insists that the legalization of gay marriage in the U.S. is n't a fait accompli. But his