Three Republican candidates who have come out in support of gay marriage are being targeted for defeat by social conservative groups.

Organizations like the Family Research Council and the National Organization for Marriage announced they will urge their supporters to stay home on election day rather than vote for openly gay GOP House candidates Carl DeMaio in California, Richard Tisei in Massachusetts and Republican Senate candidate Monica Wehby in Oregon.

Buzzfeed:

“We cannot in good conscience urge our members and fellow citizens to support candidates like DeMaio, Tisei or Wehby,” the presidents of the three groups write. “They are wrong on critical, foundational issues of importance to the American people. Worse, as occupants of high office they will secure a platform in the media to advance their flawed ideology and serve as terrible role models for young people who will inevitably be encouraged to emulate them.”

DeMaio and Tisei are the only out LGBT federal candidates from the Republican Party to be appearing on the ballot this fall.

“The Republican Party platform is a ‘statement of who we are and what we believe.’ Thus, the platform supports the truth of marriage as the union of husband and wife, and recognizes the sanctity and dignity of human life,” NOM President Brian S. Brown said in a statement.

Brown called it “extremely disappointing” to see candidates supported “who reject the party’s principled positions on these and other core issues.”

Of the effort to urge people to oppose DeMaio, Tisei, and Wehby, he said, “We cannot sit by when people calling themselves Republicans seek high office while espousing positions that are antithetical to the overwhelming majority of Republicans.”

The letter was sent to House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Greg Walden, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Jerry Moran, and others in Republican congressional leadership.

In it, the three conservative groups also warned that it is a “grave error” for the party to be supporting “candidates who do not hold core Republican beliefs and, in fact, are working to actively alienate the Republican base.”

Recent polls have both DeMaio and Tisie running neck and neck with their Democratic opponents, while Monica Wehby is struggling to stay in her Senate race. All three candidates probably couldn't get elected dog catcher in Alabama or Oklahoma, but for their districts, in deep blue states, they are acceptable.

But what is the game being played by the SoCons? Are they going to ask people to vote for a pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage Democrat instead of the pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage Republican? Asking voters to stay home is one thing. Actively working to undermine the candidacy of a Republican you disagree with on some issues in order to elect a Democrat you disagree with on 95% of the issues is quite another. By definition, it's dumb.

If there's no room in the SoCon's Republican party for disagreement - if all candidates must march in lockstep on the issues - they will eventually be attending a GOP convention held in a conference room at the local Holiday Inn.

At least the donuts will be free.