Conservatives sifting through the ashes of Tuesday's overwhelming electoral defeat

Christian evangelical leaders start rallying the troops for 'the biggest battle we have faced for our core beliefs' says the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins

In an election-eve communication, the Reverend Donald Wildmon, the founder and chairman of the American Family Association, sent an email to his supporters urging them to get out and vote "for the sake of our children and grandchildren." The email continued, "It is not merely control of Congress that will be decided ... but also control of the federal courts who are assuming more and more influence over the core values that you and I care about most."

Many who identify as Christian conservatives may have taken warnings from Rev. Wildmon and other conservative Christian evangelical leaders to heart and showed up at the polls. But this time around, in some races religious voters played an important role in electing Democratic candidates.