�Թϲ�����

Democrats desperate for fresh faces cast 37-year-old Heath Mello as a pragmatic, next-generation leader who could win in the Nebraska heartland. Yet his anti-abortion stance has become a flashpoint for the national party. If Mello prevails on Tuesday in his bid for Omaha mayor, it’s a promising sign, he says, for a candidate “with a proven record of working bipartisan and tackling some big issues and, yes, to some extent, is a pro-life Catholic Democrat.” He is challenging Republican incumbent Jean Stothert. (Beaumont, 5/8)

An Alaska lawmaker who set off a firestorm by suggesting women try to get pregnant for a "free trip to the city" for abortions is a military veteran and first-year representative with a reputation for being outspoken in his conservative beliefs. (Bohrer, 5/8)