FL Governor campaign update:

• Jim Davis has struck back at Rod Smith with his first real "attack ad" on Friday. This is after Smith has been berating Davis over TV for several days with ads that are generally not true. The ad from Davis isn't exactly hate-filled or very provocative, parroting Smith's infamous "helicopter" ads and trashing Smith on strictly Florida issues like phone rates and Everglades protection. No doubt nasty ads will pop up all over the place as Sep. 5 nears.

• Before the Davis ad came out, Rod Smith supporters launched their own ad campaign to bash Davis. Fliers accusing Davis of possessing a "record of shame" concerning racial issues were passed out to African-American Democratic voters this week. The flier specifically mentioned a 1990 case in which then-State Rep. Davis voted against giving compensation to two black men who were falsely imprisoned.

Rod Smith immediately backed away from the controversial ad:

"While I believe the content of the piece to be accurate and that U.S. Rep. Davis made a terrible vote on the Pitts and Lee compensation bill, any implication that U.S. Rep. Davis' overall record on racial matters is one of 'shame' went too far," Smith said in a statement released by his campaign.

• In a new poll, the GOP favorite in the race, Charlie Crist, now has only a 10 point lead over right-wing conservative Tom Gallagher. Crist now leads 39% to Gallagher's 29%. Gallagher, who was being pressured to drop out of the race only weeks ago, is being aided by burgeoning support from anti-abortion religious conservatives who find themselves troubled by Crist's pro-choice platform. Crist has even put out a new Gallagher attack ad. This race will be close right to the end, despite Crist's early domination. Right-wing GOPers and religious conservatives will, in the end, head for the "religiously converted" Tom Gallagher.