DAYTON,OH–Democrat Rick Carne is trying to make it seem that he is some distance to the right from the high profile and left-wing issues that define the national Democratic Party.

Republican Mike Turner's task in seeking the 3rd District congressional seat vacated by Democrat Tony Hall is to show that he is not only closer ideologically to the majority of constituents but also has the moxie to serve them effectively in Washington.

Carne, long-time aide to Hall, is already a Washington insider. He enjoys strong support from Party Central in the hope that a "safe" Democrat seat won't be lost in the campaign to regain control of the House of Representatives.

Turner, the youngish former mayor of Dayton, has solid national GOP support, but his strength should lie in not being tied to the Washington elites and power blocs that make many cynical about Capitol politics. As mayor of Democratic Dayton he showed that he could maneuver skillfully as a bipartisan leader without serious compromise to his generally conservative principles. He effectively organized opposition to defeat a "gay rights" law in the city.

In their campaign literature and discussions (rather than debates) Turner has emphasized his public service record of fighting pornography, promoting family values, managing a clean city government with fiscal responsibility while not hesitating to employ public finances in the cause of economic development.

Carne has stressed his advantage in knowing all the Tony Hall ropes although, as the years went by, Hall and his staff became ambassadors to Dayton (and Montgomery County) from Washington rather than representatives of Dayton seeking to mold national policies to local desires. Carne is trying to portray himself as a political moderate, just as Hall did, who is not fundamentally different from Turner.

Tony Hall knew the importance of delivering good service to constituents – the unions, public employees, academic liberals, civil rights activists, environmental groups and so forth. He and his staff also served as a sort of Washington ombudsman for citizens caught in bureaucratic muddles over passports, Social Security checks, veterans benefits, special legislation, etc.