Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, son of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, said he "wasn't sure that (Obama's) views on marriage could get any gayer," sparking laughs on Friday among his audience at an event held by Iowa's Faith and Freedom Coalition.

Meanwhile, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus also made headlines when he said Sunday that same-sex marriage was not a "matter of civil rights."

"I think it's just a matter of whether or not we're going to adhere to something that's been historical and religious and legal in this country for many, many years," Priebus said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I mean, marriage has to have a definition, and we just happen to believe it's between a man and woman."

On Monday, Romney took the day off from the trail, but his campaign is still playing defense after Obama's campaign released a biting new ad attacking the former Massachusetts governor over his time at the private equity firm Bain Capital.

The two-minute television spot -- to be released in major battleground states -- features former steelworkers talking about their job losses after Bain took over their company, GST Steel.

Another steelworker in the ad compares Bain to a "vampire."

"They came in and sucked the life out of us," he said. "It was like watching an old friend bleed to death."

The commercial re-establishes a major campaign hurdle Romney faced in the primary, when two of his former GOP rivals -- Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich -- accused Romney of being out of touch due to his lucrative tenure at Bain, which he helped found in 1984.

Romney's campaign spokesman Andrea Saul responded to the ad Monday saying the campaign would "welcome the Obama campaign's attempt to pivot back to jobs and a discussion of their failed record. Mitt Romney helped create more jobs in his private sector experience and more jobs as Governor of Massachusetts than President Obama has for the entire nation."