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Here in a state where presidential politics are never far from anyone's mind, three Republicans who are considering a run for the White House -- Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor -- pitched their views on Saturday for how conservatives can retake power in Washington.

It was an unusually early event for such an overt discussion of 2016, even by today's accelerated electoral calendar. Not only is the next presidential election still more than two and a half years away, most states have not even held their primary elections for the midterm elections this year.

The event was the Freedom Summit, a gathering of several hundred put together by two of the most influential groups on the right, the Americans for Prosperity Foundation and Citizens United. And what unfolded on stage in a conference center next to the regional airport was a display of today's Republican Party in all its dynamism, division and sometimes strange spectacle.

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Mr. Paul offered up his message of making the Republican Party more ecumenical by reaching out to Americans who feel conservatives do not look out for them. And in doing so, he offered some blunt advice.

''The door's not going to open up to the African-American community, to the Hispanic community, until we have something to offer,'' he said, adding that Republicans should care more that minorities are so overrepresented in the prison population.

''But your kids and grandkids aren't perfect either'' Mr. Paul said. ''The police don't come to your neighborhoods. You get a better lawyer. These are some injustices. We've got to be concerned about people who may not be part of our group, who may not be here today.''

Mr. Cruz gave a more traditional view of conservatism, but with the caustic delivery that has earned him few friends in Washington.

''I think every Republican should have two words tattooed on their hands: growth and opportunity,'' he said, before disparaging the people he works with every day. ''I'm spending my time not focusing on Washington, not trying to convince Washington of anything, because they ain't listening. What I'm trying to do instead is help energize and mobilize the American people.''

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