So does that mean Republicans will launch a social issue offensive? Hardly.

Six years ago, President Bush’s reelection was largely credited to the turnout of highly religious voters. Since then, though, the war in Iraq and the economy have dominated, relegating gay marriage, abortion and illegal immigration to the political backburner.

Even when immigration reform flared up in 2006, it had a very limited impact and didn’t do anything to stop the GOP from losing its majorities. Now that the struggling economy appears to be a GOP asset in November, shifting the focus to social issues risks taking the focus off the Republicans’ bread and butter.

Republican strategists say the issues will be invaluable for fundraising and use in isolated cases, but that their overall strategy will remain the same: economy, jobs and spending.