Las Vegas-based Republican county party rips Romney on billboard

The Clark County, Nev., Republican Party has erected a billboard in Las Vegas criticizing Mitt Romney and touting Ron Paul, the latest sign of a fractious and dysfunctional state party structure in the crucial swing state.

The billboard, first reported on by the Las Vegas Sun, compares Paul to Ronald Reagan, and Romney to George Bush (it doesn't make clear which one). It also encourages viewers to visit oathkeepers.org, a libertarian website.

Paul supporters took over the Clark County Republican Party earlier this year, a bad sign for Romney considering the county covers more than two-thirds of Nevada's population. In response, the Republican National Committee and Romney's campaign have begun to build a "shadow GOP" in the state to allow them to avoid having to work with local party structures hostile toward their goal of electing Romney president.