EDITOR'S NOTE: This is another story in a series looking at candidates in contested Republican and Democratic primaries for legislative and statewide offices.

Democratic 2nd Congressional District candidates Debbie Holmes and David Sneddon both live in Boise and work in real estate, but for political purposes, their similarities pretty much end there.

Holmes, 46, is a newcomer to politics who decided to run for office at the urging of her 21-year-old son, Jesse, a junior studying political science at the College of Idaho. Holmes' stances mirror those of her son, who's serving as her policy researcher, and are generally in line with the platforms of the party's progressive wing.

Sneddon, 49, is making his third bid for office, having lost as a candidate for the Idaho Legislature in 2000 and U.S. Senate in 2002. Sneddon's views veer from the left; he considers himself a Blue Dog, which is a coalition of Democrats led by 47 U.S. representatives with conservative and moderate ideologies.

Both are vying for their party's nomination to potentially take on U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson in the November general election. Simpson, a five-term incumbent, has two opponents in the GOP primary but is considered the odds-on favorite to win.

Republicans have controlled Idaho's 2nd Congressional District seat since 1993. Putting a Democrat in that office is no small task, Holmes and Sneddon agree, but each thinks their proposals offer the only chance to make it happen.

Holmes, who holds an advanced degree in chemistry, is sticking to an agenda that includes pulling American troops out of Iraq in two years and re-establishing tighter government regulation of the financial industry.

In the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis, Holmes believes government should step in and help homeowners renegotiate the value of their property instead of using taxpayer dollars to bail out banks.

"Trickle-down economics won't work," said Holmes, who also supports a government-run health care system.

But Sneddon, an anti-abortion real estate developer, thinks left-of-center policies won't get a Democrat elected in Idaho.

"That's the problem I'm having with the party right now," he said. "They're moving so far to the left."

Sneddon is a staunch advocate for business development in the Gem State. If elected, he pledges to visit the doorsteps of 20 companies considering Idaho as a business hub to see what he can do to entice them.

He's also adamant about weaning America off its dependence on foreign energy sources. Sneddon is a proponent of liquifying coal as a fuel source and encourages tax breaks for companies that invest in the technology.

"We should be giving (tax breaks) to them all day long," he said.

Sneddon and Holmes are both running their campaigns on shoestring budgets that pale in comparison to Simpson's war chest, which holds nearly $300,000.

Sneddon, who has yet to file campaign finance reports, supports term limits -- five terms for House members and three for the Senate -- as a means of offsetting the fundraising advantages enjoyed by incumbents.

"People get accustomed to Washington," he said. "You always have to have fresh faces."

Holmes, who has been campaigning more actively in eastern Idaho than Sneddon -- she appeared at Saturday's Bonneville County Democrats' Truman Banquet, which Sneddon did not attend -- is already looking past her opponent in the Democratic primary.

She said she wouldn't be disappointed if she took on Simpson and received at least 35 percent of the vote -- a self-imposed threshold she'll use to gauge whether to run again in 2010 if she loses.

Even if she comes up short, Holmes said, she won't feel her campaign efforts were futile. At least she's getting her message out, she said.

"Maybe Mr. Simpson will hear some of my ideas and like them," she said.

Reporter Phil Davidson can be reached at 542-6750.

Debbie Holmes

Age: 46

Occupation: real estate agent

Family: married, three children

Web site: http://dhfc.110mb.com/

David Sneddon

Age: 49

Occupation: real estate developer

Family: married, two children

Web site: unavailable