The Republican primary battle between veteran state Sen. Jim King and anti-abortion activist Randall Terry has taken on a nasty and personal tone in the final days.

Both candidates have filed complaints over campaign accusations. Meanwhile, Terry's adopted son has inserted himself into the election -- publicly criticizing his father's claim to uphold family values as hypocritical and even offering to help his opponent.

Jamiel Terry, 26, who is gay, said he is estranged from his father because Randall Terry disapproves of his sexuality. His sister Tila said she is also estranged from their father because she had a child out of wedlock.

The battle for King's seat representing District 8 -- which stretches from north of Jacksonville to Daytona Beach -- has been one of the most colorful and closely watched state races of the election season. With no Democratic opponents, the primary essentially decides who wins the seat.

Until recently, the campaign has been dominated by debate over Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged woman who died after her feeding tube was removed last year.

Now Terry's children are speaking out.

"It's like pointing out the splinter in someone else's eye when you have a log in your own," Jamiel Terry said of his father's attacks on King.

Meanwhile, Tila, 21, who was also adopted by Randall Terry, said she asked her father for help with her child, but he turned her down.

"He told me he couldn't help me because he was running for office and he had his own baby on the way," Tila Terry said. "That's not how a father is supposed to treat his daughter."

Randall Terry acknowledges that he is estranged from Jamiel but said that is not the case with Tila. He said that by speaking out, Jamiel is exploiting his name to get publicity.

"I love them both; they are my children," Terry said. "The reason I don't support [Jamiel's] lifestyle is because it is dangerous to him and I love him and I don't want him to end up with AIDS."

King turned down Jamiel Terry's offer to help his campaign.

"I am a father just like Randall Terry is a father, and there are things that happen in a family that are personal, and they shouldn't have much to do with a campaign," King said.

Tila's life is the direct result of Terry's anti-abortion protests. Tila's mother was headed into an abortion clinic when Terry persuaded her not to have the abortion. Shortly after Tila was born in 1985, Terry and his wife became close to her and her brother. Soon the Terrys took Tila and Jamiel in as foster children and later adopted them.

The campaign trail also has led to the courtroom.

Terry's suit is against a group called the North Florida Leadership Coalition that has put out attack ads against him. King said he is not associated with the group.

A spokeswoman for King said the campaign has not filed any lawsuits but has filed complaints with the Florida Commission on Ethics after Terry released a video that accuses King of visiting a club with exotic dancers. King said he has never been to the Jacksonville club and said he had the owner sign an affidavit stating that fact. He did, however, return $500 donations from the club and its owner.

While hammering away at the alleged club visit, Terry has brought in well-known religious conservatives to boost his evangelical appeal.

Schiavo's brother, Bobby Schindler, has campaigned with Terry, who served as the family spokesman for the parents of Terri Schiavo last year -- a job that netted him $10,000. King, a former Senate president, led a group of nine Republican state senators in blocking efforts to reinsert Schiavo's feeding tube.

The Rev. Frank Pavone, who served as a spiritual adviser to Schiavo's family, also has joined Terry, who has tapped into the network of religious conservatives nationwide that was instrumental in elevating Schiavo's plight to the halls of Congress.

The effort has helped bring in donations. Campaign-finance records show that only about 20 percent of Terry's contributions come from Florida . He has raised about $154,000 and has lent himself about $24,000. King has raised about $452,000, much of it coming from outside of the district but within Florida -- a testament to King's sway with lobbyists and special interests.

In the waning days of the race, both candidates will be actively campaigning. King said that because the election is the day after Labor Day, turnout will be low, so he is reaching out to people voting by absentee ballots.

Terry would not say exactly what his strategy is during the next few days, but prominent conservative activist and commentator Alan Keyes is stumping for Terry today.

Using a quirk in Florida 's election laws, Terry has "closed" the primary by enlisting two of his supporters to run as write-in candidates. That means that only registered Republicans will be able to vote in the primary Tuesday. The winner will face the two write-in candidates in the November general election, although the names of the write-ins will not appear on the ballot.