The down-ticket races are following the lead of the presidential race -- and getting dirtier and dirtier by the day. Here are the latest developments:

New Coleman Ad: Al Franken Is A Foul-Mouthed Clown
Wow, check out this new attack ad from Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), going after Al Franken's history of using curse words in public. "I'm Norm Coleman, and I approved this message because I thought it was important for you to see it," Coleman says somberly:

"How f______ shameless these people are," Franken says, in video from 2003 with bleeping added to cover up the curse words. "These people are so f______ shameless!"

Late Update: Franken spokeswoman Colleen Murray gave us this comment on the ad: "Norm Coleman says he wants you to see this because what he doesn't want you to see is his record of supporting George Bush nearly 90 percent of the time, selling out to the special interests, and ignoring Minnesota's middle class."

Franken Ad: Coleman Is With Bush On Social Security
Al Franken has this new serious ad on the subject of Social Security, tying Coleman to the very unpopular George W. Bush's proposal to privatize Social Security, and tracing his own concern for the issue to his wife having lived off survivor's benefits as a child when her father died:

Good Government Group Runs Ad Against Stevens -- And Not About Indictment
Campaign Money Watch, a pro-campaign reform group, is playing the considerable sum of $150,000 to run this ad against Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), interestingly avoiding the subject of his indictment and going after his more mundane links to special interests:

Campaign Money Watch Director David Donnelly told us that economic issues like health care are top concerns for Alaskans, and it's important to look beyond just Stevens' more spectacular scandals: "The scandal in politics is not just what is illegal, but what is legally permitted everyday.

Dem Congressman: My Opponent Hurt The District After I Beat Him In '06
Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN) is making a serious charge against his opponent, former Congressman Mike Sodrel: That after Hill defeated Sodrel in 2006, Sodrel closed his offices early and made a smooth transition impossible for constituent services cases. In response, Sodrel's campaign has responded that the timing of his office closure was fully within the bounds of federal guidelines.

Dems Pick Replacement Candidate For the Late U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones
In Ohio's 11th Congressional District, Warrensville Heights Mayor Marcia Fudge will replace the late U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones on the Nov. 4 ballot. A heavily democratic district, Tubbs Jones won 83% of the vote in 2006 and ran unopposed in 2004, so Fudge is effectively on her way to the House.

Poll: Dem Leads For Missouri Governor
A new Rasmussen poll shows Democrats in a very strong position to pick up the open gubernatorial seat in Missouri, currently held by Republican Matt Blunt. Democratic state Attorney General Jay Nixon leads Republican Congressman Kenny Hulshof by a margin of 54%-39%

Poll: Republican Leads For Washington State Governor
A separate Rasmussen poll gives the Republican candidate the lead in the race for governor of Washington state. Former stat Sen. Dino Rossi has a 52%-46% lead over incumbent Democrat Christine Gregoire, who very narrowly won a disputed election result against Rossi back in 2004.