The Republican National Committee has introduced a list of 10 principles designed to keep candidates aligned with party ideals and while one former GOP leader insisted Sunday it “is not a litmus test,” the concept does raise a question about 2010 midterm election strategy.

Republican candidates who wish to receive fundraising and campaign support from the RNC would have to agree with at least eight of 10 party positions, according to a resolution first reported by The New York Times. The list is to be considered at the Republicans’ winter meeting in Hawaii.

Three GOP notables, including former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, former New York House candidate Dede Scozzafava and former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie offered their views Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on how the tentative list, among other issues, could affect Republican priorities and the electorate in 2010.

On current pressing issues, the list outlines support for “smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama’s ‘stimulus’ bill; ... market-based health care reform and [opposition to] Obama-style government run health care;...market-based energy reforms by opposing cap and trade legislation.”

Armey said the resolution at this point “is being offered for consideration in the party” and that the degree of agreement is more like “seven out of the 10. But if you read the list, at least five of the 10 are right at the center stage... centerpost of the big 10 of American politics today.”

“That’s not a litmus test,” he said. “That’s just saying, if you want us to give you our money, our support, our troops in the field, our endorsements, then demonstrate that you’re someone like us.”

Dede Scozzafava, a moderate Republican, was a candidate in the special election in New York’s 23rd District. She dropped out of the race and supported the eventual winner, Democrat Bill Owens, after a number of Republicans, including Armey, threw their support behind Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman.

Scozzafava said she would have been able to agree with seven of the 10 RNC principles in the resolution — suggesting she could have retained GOP support.

“If people looked at my record and understood how I felt about a lot of the federal issues, I think they could see that I was for lower taxes, lower government spending. I was not in favor of repeal of the 2003 tax cuts. I am not in favor of an estate tax. There were many things in that platform that I would be OK with.”

She also argued that her positions emulated those of former Rep. John M. McHugh , who held the seat for nine terms before resigning to become secretary of the Army.

“I think you’ve got to look at the predecessor. John McHugh’s served this district very well. He was a moderate,” she said. “Some of the positions that I got criticized for taking were positions that John already had. ...So I think there’s got to be some understanding. The most important thing we can do as Republicans I think and the leadership can do as Republicans are driving a message that brings us together.”

Armey countered that the race was lost for the GOP “when they nominated Dede. My activists on the ground contacted me and said that. The Conservative Party stayed out of the race until they saw that, despite the fact that she has a full and enthusiastic and generous support of the Republican Party, she was losing the race.”

On the list of principles, Gillespie said, “I suspect, if you look at those 10 things that a Republican running in a primary for Congress against another Republican, the Republican who agrees with nine out of, you know, those 10 will beat the Republican who agrees with seven out of those 10.