Religious Right organizations remain divided over the field of potential Republican presidential hopefuls and are stepping up their efforts to find a consensus candidate.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney narrowly won the Iowa caucuses in January, edging out former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum by a mere eight votes. Although numerous media pundits consider Romney the front-runner, many in the Religious Right are not sold on his candidacy. Some are put off by his Mormon faith, while others say he’s not conservative enough.

Politico, a Washington, D.C., newspaper, reported after the Iowa caucuses that several “national conservative leaders” planned to meet at a ranch in Texas to discuss the candidates. The meeting was convened by Focus on the Family founder James C. Dobson, American Family Association founder Donald Wildmon and Gary Bauer of American Values.

Many Religious Right leaders had pinned their hopes on Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who jumped into the race in August shortly after hosting a high-profile prayer rally at Reliant Stadium in Houston. But Perry quickly stumbled and performed poorly in a string of GOP debates, and his candidacy has not caught on with rank-and-file GOP voters.

Perry finished a distant fifth in Iowa, capturing only 10 percent of the vote. Although he vowed to stay in the race, rumors of his political demise continue to circulate. (U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, also a great favorite of the Religious Right, did so poorly in the caucuses – with only 5 percent of the vote – that she dropped out of the race.)

According to Politico, many Religious Right leaders believe that Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will bloody each other during the remaining primaries and caucuses, leaving Romney in command of the field and a clear road to the nomination.

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) also remains a factor. Paul, who finished third in Iowa with 21 percent of the vote, doubled his support among evangelicals from 2008, reported CNN.com.

Polling by CNN showed that self-identified evangelicals in Iowa leaned toward Santorum. The ex-senator captured 34 percent of their votes. Paul captured 18 percent, while Romney, Perry and Gingrich each took 14 percent. (The remaining voters were spread among other candidates.)

The Texas confab, which took place Jan. 13-14, may have been designed as a rally for Santorum, but it’s by no means a given that all Religious Right figures will back him. Wildmon, now retired from the AFA, has already endorsed Gingrich.

Santorum has won some Religious Right endorsements, but until mid January, none were particularly high-profile figures. He was endorsed by Bob VanderPlaats of an Iowa group called The Family Leader and some Iowa pastors who are active in far-right politics.

In New Hampshire, which held its primary Jan. 10, Santorum won endorsements from several right-wing pastors as well. But New Hampshire contains fewer evangelical voters than Iowa, and the primary was not competitive. Romney won easily with 39 percent of the vote.

The next major primary, South Carolina, took place Jan. 21, after Church & State’s press deadline.