Jesse Kelly has a funny way of avoiding questions he doesn’t want to answer. The Iraq War veteran, who is the Republican nominee in the special election next month for Gabrielle Giffords’ …

GOP Group Floods Mailers Into Wisconsin Recall — For State Senate

No holds are barred in the Wisconsin recalls — even the down-ballot races for state Senate. A national GOP group is sending a volley of mailers into one key race, including one key piece that graphically depicts a physical attack on a woman, and suggests the Democrat in the race is directly to blame for the criminal’s presence on the streets.

The Republican State Leadership Committee, a national group that focuses on down-ballot state races, has targeted the 21st District recall race, where Republican state Sen. Van Wangaard is being challenged in a rematch with Democratic former state Sen. John Lehman, whom Wangaard beat in the 2010 Republican wave. The RSLC told the Huffington Post that the mailer was sent to 10,000 homes.

The mailer depicts a woman being assaulted by a man behind her, with the assailant putting his hand across the woman’s mouth. “You’re not SAFE,” it says, “Thanks to JOHN LEHMAN.”

So is the mailer meant to depict a sexual assault?

“It’s a depiction of a crime taking place,” RSLC spokesman Adam Temple told TPM.

Nevada Officials Resign After Ron Paul Takeover

For the second presidential cycle in a row, Ron Paul supporters wreaked havoc on Nevada’s GOP, threatening to take over the state party and key county positions by flooding their conventions with supporters. Now mainstream state Republicans are falling on their sword in the aftermath.

Five high-ranking members of the Clark County GOP, which includes the Las Vegas area, have resigned amid disputes with Paul supporters, who dominated a March county convention to take 13 of 14 of executive board spots and performed similarly at the state convention, securing 22 national delegates to Romney’s three. According to the Associated Press, the former Clark County GOP Vice Chairman Woody Stroupe complained the new Paul backers “have been picking fights with the RNC” — at one point they passed a resolution calling for RNC Chairman Reince Priebus to resign.

Obama’s Gay Marriage Support Triggers Dramatic Shift In Attitudes Among Black Voters

An endorsement of same-sex marriage was long considered risky for President Obama because of the expected backlash from the African-American community. Few seemed to consider the alternative, which polling suggests is playing out instead: Rather than changing their minds about the president, some black voters are reconsidering gay marriage.

A pair of polls released in the last week suggest Obama’s highly publicized announcement may have helped trigger a shift in attitudes among African-Americans, a historically socially conservative voting bloc, in states where same-sex marriage has been at the forefront of public debate. On Thursday, Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP) released the results of a survey showing that the state law legalizing same-sex marriage in Maryland is a strong favorite to be upheld by voters in November, with 57 percent of likely voters saying they will vote for the referendum and only 37 percent intending to vote against.

NBC/Marist Poll: Obama With Narrow Leads In Ohio, Florida And Virginia

Polls from a trio of crucial swing states show President Barack Obama with small leads over presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, another sign that the 2012 campaign will be extremely competitive.

The Cracked Pipeline: How Redistricting Targeted Women Lawmakers In Statehouses Around The Country

That Democrats became roadkill during the latest round of redistricting, mostly at the hands of Republican state legislatures, has been well documented. But less widely known is that the casualties at the state level often hit women lawmakers the hardest — eating into the slow but steady gains women have made in statehouses across the country.

A closer examination shows that it’s not just Democratic women officeholders who have taken it on the chin, being drawn into districts with either more voters from the opposite party or another incumbent — or both. The redistricting process in several states could set women of both parties back, including many women in leadership positions.

Know Your Spox: Team Romney’s Top Talkers

President Obama and Mitt Romney are the main attractions of the 2012 election, but it’s their communications staff that fills the 24/7 news hole with an endless array of quotes, TV appearances and press releases. So who are these talking point specialists you’ll be spending the next six months listening to? Yesterday we took a look at a few of Team Obama’s most prolific voices. Today it’s Romney’s turn. Here’s a rundown of a few of Romney’s top spokesmen and women, many of whom have a long history with the candidate.

Romney Silent On Immigration As Latino Vote Slips Away

Mitt Romney addressed a luncheon hosted by the Latino Coalition Wednesday, a conservative group of business owners. Speaking in a lavish marble hall with flags celebrating America’s great explorers on the walls and free tequila on the audience’s lunch tables (the group’s chairman, Hector Barreto, owns a liquor company), Romney’s speech was notable for what it left out: Immigration was not mentioned once, either in the address or in a pre-screened Q&A; session.

Instead, Romney focused his remarks on education, outlining a new plan to expand access to charter schools, and touching on his pledge to lower taxes and cut federal spending.

Obama Camp Hits Back At ‘Romney Economics’ On Education

The Obama campaign fired back at Mitt Romney’s speech Wednesday on education, in which Romney put forward school choice proposals, holding a conference call with reporters in which they tied “Romney economics,” of short-term gains, to their opponent’s positions on education.

“Mitt Romney might not want to talk about his lackluster record in Massachusetts, but it’s an important window into what he would do as president,” said Obama campaign national press secretary Ben LaBolt, criticizing Romney for having sought cuts to early literacy programs, and for sharp increases in public college tuition during his term as governor.

LaBolt also pointed to Romney’s comments at a closed-door fundraiser in April, where he said he would cut the size of the Department of Education.

Obama Campaign Launches Outreach To LGBT Voters

No one is sure what impact President Obama’s newfound support for same-sex marriage will have on the election in November. But the Obama campaign isn’t just going to sit back and wait and see.

The Obama campaign on Wednesday announced the launch of Obama Pride: LBGT Americans for Obama, an outreach effort targeting the LGBT community. The new initiative, which coincides with Pride Month in June, will prioritize efforts to engage the community and mobilize voters. LGBT-targeted registration efforts were held Tuesday in honor of Harvey Milk Day. On the to-do list for Obama Pride are trainings, planning sessions, phone banks and house parties, particularly in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, Colorado, Nevada and Florida.