BELFAST – Democratic hopefuls made their cases to state party leadership for the first time Sunday in the early stages of an already crowded race to represent Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.

Although 14 months still remain before the general election, this weekend’s forum could prove an important stop on the long road to fill the seat held by Rep. John Baldacci, who will run for governor rather than seek a fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“The party is very aware of the importance of keeping this seat,” party chairwoman Gwethalyn Phillips said. “We have to keep our eye on the ball that is November 2002, and see how these organizations develop.”

With campaign literature already in heavy circulation, early indications suggest the organizations are off to fast and furious starts.

Fresh off his last week’s early endorsement from union shipbuilders at Bath Iron Works, former state Sen. Sean Faircloth of Bangor on Sunday joined Maine Senate President Michael Michaud of East Millinocket, Lewiston Mayor Kaileigh Tara and former U.S. foreign assistance officer David Costello to personally pitch their platforms at the state committee meeting. The candidates focused on the traditional staples of Democratic politics including health care, education and workers’ rights.

Two other candidates, state Sens. John Nutting and Susan Longley, were unable to attend, but sent a representative and a video presentation, respectively.

“It’s going to be quite a race,” said committee member Susan Cook, who praised the “seasoned” Faircloth and “talented” Tara after Sunday’s forum, which drew about 100 Democratic faithful to the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast.

Cook, of Sagadahoc County, ended up writing a check to Tara, a single mother of two who stressed her humble, Franco-American background and her unlikely political ascent as potential advantages in connecting with voters.

David Garrity, the committee’s finance chairman, said after the meeting that he was impressed with both Michaud’s and Faircloth’s responses to his question of how they could win the general election. But the party official from Portland also acknowledged that it was too soon to see candidates emerge from the pack.

One name missing from that pack thus far is former U.S. Small Business Administration official and state lawmaker Pat McGowan, who lost two close races to then U.S. Rep. Olympia Snowe in the early 1990s.

A potential McGowan candidacy has been the topic of discussion among party activists for months, but the York resident who owns property in the 2nd District declined Sunday to confirm a run.

“They’re out there way too soon,” McGowan said of the announced candidates who will officially square off at the party’s February caucuses.

The campaign’s length aside, thus far, pundits say the race is showing some similarities to the 1994 primary contest, when incumbent Snowe stepped down and six candidates including Baldacci faced off.

Since then, the Bangor Democrat has reclaimed his seat by wide margins in a sprawling district that doesn’t lend itself to gerrymandering, according to Amy Fried, a University of Maine political science professor.

“It’s a very competitive district,” said the political analyst. “It might not seem that way with Baldacci’s strong majorities, but it’s harder to guarantee any particular party’s win in this state.”