AUGUSTA -- There are 80,000 veterans in the 1st Congressional District.

Candidates hoping to win that seat in Congress worked hard Monday to appeal to that voting bloc.

Yet many of the issues have universal appeal.

The candidates running for the 1st Congressional District talked about health care, the economy, the war in Iraq and veterans issues during a forum sponsored by the Maine Veterans Coordinating Committee.

Candidates in both parties are working for votes as they head into the June 10 primary.

All six Democrats -- Michael Brennan of Portland, Adam Cote of Portland, Mark Lawrence of South Berwick, Stephen Meister of Winthrop, Chellie Pingree of North Haven and Ethan Strimling of Portland -- came to the Augusta State Armory for the event.

On the Republican side, Dean Scontras of Eliot faced Ruth Summers of Scarborough. Throughout the campaign, Summers has stood in for her husband Charlie Summers, a Republican candidate who is stationed in Iraq.

About 40 people attended the forum.

"You're going to hear from me bold ideas, new ideas to reverse the direction of this country," said Brennan, a former state senator and social worker.

Although Democrats have appeared at forums and debates an estimated 20 times throughout the last nine months, appearances by members of both parties have been fewer. Campaign aides say the events from here on out are taking on added importance as people tune into the campaign.

The seat is up for grabs this year because U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, a Democrat, is challenging U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, for her Senate seat.

The House district includes much of southern and coastal Maine, stretching north to Belgrade, Sidney, Vassalboro, Albion and Augusta.

In his introductory remarks, Scontras described himself as a "next-generation Republican" who is worried about national security and federal debt.

"We live in times of danger and uncertainty," he said.

Ruth Summers emphasized her husband's previous service as a state senator and a top advisor to U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe. She said her husband is a "statesman."

"Politicians do it for themselves," she said. "Statesmen do the job for others."

Meister, a physician, said his experience as a veteran of the first Gulf War and his work in health care make him the best qualified person to be elected to Congress.

"You should be able to get the care close to home where you need it," he said while responding to a question about access to rural health care.

Some of the candidates said Congress could have found a better use for the rebate checks that will be given out in an attempt to stimulate the economy.

Lawrence, the York County District Attorney, said the national deficit is the biggest threat to the economy.

"What if they had taken that money and said to every state, 'What are the roads, bridges and schools that need the money?' and sent it back to the states and put people to work," he said.

Strimling, a state senator who runs a Portland nonprofit for at-risk youth, took aim at the Bush Administration several times, saying that government needs to invest in programs to help the economy.

"George Bush has taken the New Deal and handed us a raw deal," he said.

Many of the Democrats pushed for universal health care, a step that must be taken by the federal government, said Pingree, former head of Common Cause in Washington, D.C., and a former state senator.

"The VA is the model for prescription drugs," she said.

Cote, who served with the 133rd Engineer Battalion and is a lawyer, said his experience with helping foreign countries develop energy policy will pay off in Congress.

"In Maine, we are positioned to be energy independent and this can help our economy tremendously," he said.

Susan Cover -- 623-1056

scover@centralmaine.com