Four potential GOP candidates took the stage Thursday, April 9, 2015 at the Family Leadership Regional Summit at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa including Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry, and Rick Santorum.
"The values that so many of us hold dear are values that are under assault today," said Huckabee.
Each getting a chance to speak to the crowd of 600 for approximately 20 minutes.
"If you had told me just a few years ago that one day the President would use his precious time in oval office simply to congratulate them for being gay, I would say 'Surely he'll call a veteran and thank them for their service for losing a limb or a leg'," said Huckabee.
All were asked to address the topic of religious freedom by Bob Vander Plaats, President and CEO of The FAMiLY Leader.
"It is wrong for the government to force these business to participate in marriages that violate our beliefs and violate our conscience," said Jindal.
"I think it's very important that we go back to understand our fundamental understanding about religious freedom goes to the very soul of this country," said Perry.
"We need to send a message to Hollywood. We need to send a message to Corporate America. America did not create religious liberty, religious liberty created the United States of America and that the reason we're here today," said Jindal.
In response to the summit Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement:
“It’s no surprise that the Republican Party would much rather discuss its fringe ideological agenda than anything else. Republicans who are running for president are continuing to push the failed GOP economic policies of the past – tax cuts for the wealthiest at the expense of everyone else, opposition to increasing the minimum wage, and voucherizing Medicare – and not only are these positions unpopular, but they’re just plain wrong for Iowans and for the rest of the country too. The choice couldn’t be more clear. While Republicans prioritize the wealthiest few, Democrats will continue to fight for an agenda that strengthens our middle class, creates jobs, and expands opportunity for all Americans.”