FORT KENT – Residents of northern Maine received little new information Monday night from the candidates for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat, except maybe from the Socialist Equality Party candidate.

Incumbent Democrat Michael Michaud, Republican hopeful Brian Hamel and Carl Cooley of the Socialist Equality Party had only one hour to win over voters in the third debate of their race. Fox Auditorium at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, which seats 450 people, was nearly three-quarters full.

Michaud and Hamel stayed close to the messages voters have been hearing for weeks in political advertisements.

Michaud talked about his hard work for the last 24 years, especially the last two years in Congress, and the need for government assistance for lower-cost prescriptions, and the development of agriculture, the forest industry, and his opposition to large tax cuts for the country’s richest.

Hamel discussed his successes in creating jobs, his belief in being a people person who would work for bipartisan support for programs, and his support of the work of the Bush administration in programs including tax cuts, No Child Left Behind education programs, changes in Medicare and lower prescription costs for the state’s senior citizens, and the removal of terrorists from the world.

Cooley, on the other hand, was blunt. He talked about putting power in the hands of the people, people controlling agriculture, forestry and infrastructure, and his strong opposition to the war in Iraq. He also got in the best side-splitter of the night.

“I have to be honest with you,” he said in his closing statement. “There is a strong possibility I might not win this race.

“We are in this because we feel there is no voice for the working people,” he said.

It wasn’t that there were no jabs by Michaud and Hamel; there were. But they had been heard before. Hamel hammered at Michaud for approving all kinds of tax increases, and Michaud retaliated saying Hamel denied salary increases to people who worked for him.

They both agreed that there is a job crisis in Maine.

“We need to remove obstacles to business,” Hamel said. “The tax structure and overregulation are obstacles to bringing business and jobs here.”

“It’s a matter of priorities that’s behind Maine losing 23 percent of its manufacturing jobs,” Michaud said in retaliation. “It’s unfair trade agreements that caused problems.”

While Hamel said that the private sector needs to be brought in to help on some problems, Michaud insisted that President Bush’s $43 billion giveaway to large corporations sent many jobs offshore.

It was much the same in forestry and agriculture. Hamel pushed his pledge to serve on the House Agricultural Committee, and Michaud insisted that Maine needs better trade agreements, better transportation, and assistance with growing and marketing.

They both lined up in favor of the Northeast Development Regional Commission, from which Maine could gather millions of dollars for development. Michaud hailed it as one of his economic development directives for Maine, but Hamel said it needs partners from the private sector to work and generate funding.

Michaud hammered out his message on “shameful” prescription costs, and Hamel reiterated his stand that the Medicare Drug Plan is a good start to providing low-cost prescriptions to Americans.

“It’s a sham. It prohibits negotiating prices and importation of drugs,” Michaud said. “We have to negotiate to get lower-cost prescriptions.”

“There is no importation of prescription drugs, and that’s because of safety,” Hamel said. “Senior citizens are hurting, and we have to make it better by working at it together, on both sides.”

Michaud called the No Child Left Behind educational initiative an “unfunded mandate” which eliminates “progressive education.”

Hamel called it a “sound principle” and its success depends on its “implementation.” He said he would have the ear of the president to offer changes.

According to Hamel, middle class Americans were helped by the president’s tax cuts of the last four years, but Michaud said the tax cuts were simply breaks for the rich.

The opponents are scheduled to meet again in another debate before the election. They held two debates last week.