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By Perry Bacon Jr.

Senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul are aggressively angling for the support of religious conservatives ahead of their likely 2016 presidential runs, with Paul even showing short ultrasound videos of unborn children at events to emphasize his opposition to abortion.

Appearing at a conference of conservative religious activists Friday, Paul said America needed a "revival," while Cruz referred to several Bible verses in his speech without using notes.

When anyone asks, is faith real, is a relationship with Jesus real, I can tell you, if it were not, if my father hadnt given his life to Christ, I would have been raised by a single mother, Cruz told the crowd at the Values Voters Summit in Washington D.C., describing his father Rafaels embrace of Christianity during the Texas senators childhood.

Tea Party activist William Temple (C) and others stand during the Pledge of Allegiance at the 2014 Values Voter Summit September 26, 2014 in Washington, DC. The Family Research Council (FRC) is hosting its 9th annual Values Voter Summit, where it will invite conservatives to participate in a straw poll.

An hour later, at the same event, Paul lamented that speaking of a revival, speaking of our values, is sadly considered non-conformist.

I think we must do something our world often tells us not to: seek God, Paul told the crowd of more than 400 conservatives from around the country.

A number of other potential Republican 2016 candidates appeared at Fridays event, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Santorum, who is Catholic, proved to be a strong contender in socially conservative states during the 2012 GOP primary race because of his support among Christian conservatives.

But Paul and Cruz were given two of the prime speaking slots at the Values Voters Summit, which is put on by the conservative Family Research Council. And their prominent appearances were no accident. Some Christian conservative activists view Paul and Cruz as favored candidates who could potentially win the GOP nomination. That perceived electability sets both men apart from past contenders, like Mike Huckabee in 2008 and Santorum in 2012, who struggled to build support outside the evangelical community.

Run, Ted, Run, said Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center, in introducing Cruz.

Read more here:
Paul, Cruz Jockey for Backing from Christian Voters