Davis Revives Ad Attacking Simon

Davis political strategist Garry South said last week that the governor would run only positive commercials for the rest of the campaign because he was confident in his lead over Simon, who has stumbled repeatedly since the Republican primary.

On Friday, Simon's campaign officials seized on their opponent's return to negative advertising as evidence that Davis' upbeat tactic had failed.

It "backfired on him, so he's gone back to what he tried earlier, which is attacking," said Simon senior strategist Ed Rollins.

But South said the governor remains confident of victory, and he disputed suggestions that the margin between the two was shrinking. He noted that the Davis campaign is still running two positive spots.

The Davis campaign put a negative commercial back on the air in response to several recent Simon ads attacking the governor's fund-raising and handling of the state's energy crisis, South said.

"We will stay mostly positive, but we're not going to let this guy smack us around without reminding voters of who he is," South said, adding: "You have to do everything in a campaign within your power to protect your lead."

Simon said Davis' return to negative ads demonstrated his inability to win with positive advertising.

"Obviously, Mr. Davis is worried he's going to lose, and he should be," Simon told reporters after addressing the state National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People convention in Burbank Friday.

Earlier, Simon visited three classrooms at Harbor Summit Elementary School in downtown San Diego, which serves homeless children in an industrial neighborhood just south of the city's glistening high-rises.

The candidate quizzed the students about their Halloween costumes and favorite candy, and told them he planned to dress as a vampire and escort his children trick-or-treating in Los Angeles.

Afterward, Simon told reporters that, if elected, he would create more schools like Harbor Summit by giving campuses more control and developing public-private partnerships.