Did you see the last SurveyUSA poll *report*? It said that there was a huuuuge decline in both recall and Arnold support in their tracking survey post-smear. The last Survey USA poll had Arnold crushing Davis and Cruz.
Survey USA (10/3-10/5) Recall Yes-No 57% 43%
Survey USA (10/3-10/5) Arnold 46% Cruz 34% Tom 13%
Again, did you read the REPORT? You have to follow TRENDS. This smear was late breaking. Does the recall margins freefall into election day or did the drop finally stop on Monday?
"Erosion in Arnold Support, But Not at Tipping Point"
"Margin for recall dropped 25 points to 14 points between 10/3, 10/4 and 10/5"
http://www.surveyusacom/2003_Elections/CA031006RecallReplace.pdf