Voters in House District 78, which includes Oakland and part of Sidney, have a choice between a seasoned Republican lawmaker and a Democratic newcomer in this year's election.

Robert Nutting, the Republican from Oakland, served four terms in the Maine House and 12 years on the Oakland Town Council. His time in office did little to blunt any partisan edge; in meetings with this editorial board over the years, Nutting has offered sharp criticism of legislative leaders, the governor and others with whom he disagrees. His answers to the questions our news staff posed to him this year are evidence of continued partisanship -- the Dirigo program has "failed," "Maine is not a friendly place to locate a business" -- as well as a limited political vocabulary that will make the necessary legislative compromises difficult to embrace.

Nutting brings to the race an even more serious handicap, one that has caused us to reject his candidacy twice in the past. The business he owned and ran, True's Pharmacy in Oakland, was accused of overbilling by the state and federal government -- to the tune of about $1.3 million.

Nutting closed the pharmacy in the wake of the charges and filed for bankruptcy, thus rendering it unlikely the taxpayers would recover the money. While the allegations against Nutting were not criminal, they involved poor record-keeping and improper billing and are a serious blemish on his record.

Sam Bromberg comes to the race without much of a record. A Democrat and replacement candidate who entered late in the campaign, he's focused on the economic problems facing the district and has spent time on the trail collecting food for the hungry.

His answers to our reporter's questions were thoughtful and, in some cases, refreshingly down-to earth. "Finding child care is a barrier for a lot of working parents," he said, "and I'd be interested in finding ways to provide more incentives to employers to assist parents."

Notice: He didn't speak about either mandates or taxes, but rather incentives. We like that.

Normally, we'd be likely to tell an inexperienced candidate like Bromberg to serve some time on a city council or planning board before going to the Statehouse. But in this case, we'll take Bromberg's inexperience over Nutting's partisanship and troubling record. The Morning Sentinel endorses Sam Bromberg for election in House District 78.