Space shoots self in foot.

Rep. Zack Space blew it.

He surprised many by jumping early into the ad war, and surprised even more by making the ad a scathing attack against his opponent.

Well, it turns out the ad is going to blow up in Space's face.

An Ohio Elections Commission panel voted 3-0 today that there is probable cause to believe U.S. Rep. Zack Space's campaign violated election law in a TV commercial.

Space's Republican challenger, state Sen. Bob Gibbs, of Lakeville, filed an elections complaint over a Space's TV ad which claims that Gibbs, as a state lawmaker, voted for a pay raise for himself and did not vote for tax breaks for average Ohioans. The commerical continues running on Columbus-area television channels.

The first indication that internal polls looked bad in the Space camp came when the attack ad first ran. After all, if you've got a reasonable lead, you have to play it safe, especially in this environment.

Instead, Space attacked.

And now the big story in his district is about how his ad is a lie.

Things just went from bad to worse for Rep. Zack Space.