Cuyahoga County Democrat Tim Hagan isn't the only person in his household running for something.

While he's out running for governor, his wife, actress Kate Mulgrew, is running like H-E-double-hockey sticks.

Ms. Mulgrew lent her voice talents to a new video game called Run Like Hell. The scary science fiction game, released earlier this month, puts players in a spooky space station infested with menacing killer aliens.

"Your goal is to eliminate as many of the nasty creatures as you can, grab your loved ones and get the hell off the station!" according to a synopsis provided by the game's publisher, Interplay Entertainment Corp.

Too bad she can't eliminate the nasty creatures showing up at the gubernatorial debates.

Too many, too late

Think this year's onslaught of campaign commercials is heavier than usual? You're right.

Aside from Gov. Bob Taft, most of the statewide political campaigns in Ohio waited until the last minute to field television commercials this year, says Brian Lawlor, general sales manager for WCPO-TV.

The campaign advertising season typically begins 60 days before the election. Aside from Gov. Bob Taft, virtually no one else was running political ads during the first 30 days.

Most of the candidates were playing cat-and-mouse games with their opponents, waiting to see who would put their ads up first.

"All of the money fell into the final four weeks of the election," he said. "That's why you're seeing such a huge inundation of spots all at one time."

With so many candidates and campaigns clamoring for air time, Mr. Lawlor said it's difficult squeezing all of them in.

"They all want the same spots," he said.

And other stuff

Things were going pretty well for Mr. Taft at the debates Wednesday night. He remembered all his opening lines. He touted his accomplishments. And when he started on a long litany of the faults with his opponent, he really seemed to be cruising.

"He won't talk about his record. He won't tell you that as commissioner he led his county to the highest sales and property taxes in Ohio, and the highest rate of welfare fraud."

Unfortunately for Mr. Taft, the litany was apparently a little too long to remember. "And he won't tell you a lot of other stuff."

Uh, is that stuff secret, governor? Or are you just making it up as you go along?

Five by Five

Five must be the magic number when it comes to political attack ads. Ads by Mr. Taft and Mr. Hagan both use five insults to paint their opponents as losers.

Mr. Taft's recent television ad quotes newspaper articles that call Mr. Hagan 1) "an unabashed liberal, 2) Tax-Hike Tim, 3) untested and 4) impulsive." It notes that Mr. Hagan himself says he is "in the twilight of a 5) mediocre career."

Mr. Hagan, who can't afford to run television ads, launched his own attack ad on the Internet. It features Mr. Taft singing that he is the great 1) postponer and says the governor is 2) "incompetent and 3) bumbling." It says he is a 4) "lame leader" who 5) "runs his office like a clown."

If you believe these guys, voters on election day are going to have to choose between a really bad singer and a madcap self-deprecator.

Debra Jasper is the Columbus Bureau Chief. Spencer Hunt is a reporter in the Columbus bureau. They can be reached at 614-224-4640 or email djasper@enquirer.com or shunt@enquirer.com