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He's not even on the March 4 ballot, but the three Democrats vying for the Third Congressional District seat held by Republican Rep. Mike Turner are running on his record.

As in, they don't like it and believe they can do better.

"I'm not sure his voting record reflects what would be best for the people in this district," said Jane Mitakides, a Washington Twp. businesswoman who lost to Turner in 2004.

Dayton businessman and activist David Esrati and former Waynesville Mayor Charles Sanders agree.

The candidates criticize Turner, of Centerville, as a "rubber-stamp" for the Bush administration and say he is out of touch with his constituents.

"Let's look at the big important issues. Our economy is going to hell. We're in a war that we shouldn't be in," Esrati said. "Is Mike Turner doing anything? Is he saying anything? No."

Turner in November will face whichever of the three Democrats wins the primary. The district covers most of Montgomery County, part of Warren County and all of Clinton and Highland counties.

In a written statement, Turner said he had "worked hard to bring jobs to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, protect Medicare benefits for seniors and secure over $20 million in economic development funds for downtown Dayton."

All three Democrats argue they are the best to beat Turner.

Mitakides, the endorsed Democrat, said she has the political backing and best ideas. Sanders argues that he's the only one of the three who has won elective office. And Esrati said he knows Turner best, having faced off against him in a Dayton mayor's race and on city of Dayton issues.

Here's where each of the candidate's stand:

David Esrati

Esrati said his top goal is to take the money out of politics and to "show that a campaign can be run without PAC money, special interest money, the lobbyist money."

He's running self-produced campaign videos he puts on his Web site and has had a blog for about three years.

"I want to teach people how to basically blog from Congress and have discussions with their constituents," Esrati said. "Open those lines of communication so that politics is no longer done in a back room but in the open, online."

He wants conventional forces pulled out of Iraq and would leave special forces and a structure in place to train the Iraqis to run their own country.

His health care plan calls for the government to be the single payer, empowering medical providers and limiting drug advertising.

Esrati wants a reset of adjustable rate mortgages as an economic stimulus. He would help small businesses, ban relocation tax incentives and use certain work visas to attract high technology companies to urban areas.

"Government should not be in the business of creating jobs," Esrati said. "Government should be in the business of creating a foundation for people to build their companies on."

He said labor unions have a role, such as making sure pay is fair, but not by "protecting people who are incompetent."

"In fact, one of the reasons that people don't look at coming into Dayton and putting in their manufacturing plants happens to be the idea that our local auto unions are strike-prone and a bunch of crybabies," Esrati said.

Jane Mitakides

Mitakides said the region needs a Democrat who will be part of the majority party to advocate for Wright Patterson Air Force Base and BRAC-related development.

She said her business background and political connections will help her succeed in Congress. Her priorities are "jobs, the development of green industry that is so suited to this area, real funding for our VA center and for education," Mitakides said.

She called for an end to "back-room deals" and "corporate cronyism" and said that sort of leadership allowed predatory lending and the foreclosure crisis. She supports a temporary freeze on interest rates to deal with that crisis.

Mitakides said the recent economic stimulus bill is a good start but not enough.

"But if we don't follow it with some long-term solutions it is the fiscal equivalent to licking chapped lips," Mitakides said.

She sees no evidence trade agreements have worked and said they make American workers compete for jobs with countries that have far lower wages.

She would create jobs by focusing more federal money on bridges, roads and rebuilding schools.

"I don't see that as spending, I see that as investing in each other and our nation," Mitakides said.

She said American troops should not be in the middle of a civil war in Iraq.

"I support the idea that we need to be out of there as quickly as we possibly can without leaving a vacuum in the region," said Mitakides, who advocates diplomatic efforts to stabilize the region.

She wants more funding for veterans services, improvements to veterans hospitals , and payments for the soldiers' surviving spouses.

Mitakides also called for restructuring students loans to make them more affordable, loan forgiveness in exchange for service, and a longer K-12 school day.

She would pay for her ideas by finding savings within the budget and "rebalancing the whole tax structure," although she didn't offer a specific plan for what that means.

Mitakides said the region's problems have worsened during Turner's tenure.

"It's heartbreaking," she said. "I think we are standing on the edge of a sea change in Washington. Put the partisanship and the my-turn-at-the-trough mentality behind us and work for real change."

Charles Sanders

Sanders said restoring economic vitality in the Third District is his top priority. He said the way to do it is to build a coalition of business, labor, government and others to bring in new businesses.

"I would be the catalyst that would spur the conversation," Sanders said. "I've stated over and over again, I will personally create a Silicon Valley in the Miami Valley."

How? He said he will go about it much as Waynesville did with its industrial park, by building infrastructure and offering tax abatements tied to jobs. He also supports issuing bonds and pushing for "citizen initiatives to get these things going."

He said he supports offering health insurance to everyone, and he said he'd pay for it by using money that he believes is now wasted. Budget savings would also come from pulling troops out of Iraq by mid-2010, Sanders said. He said the U.S. should stabilize the Iraqi government and tell them to take care of their own country.

"Help them to see this. I am certain that doing this they will do the right thing and step up," Sanders said.

Sanders wants to do something about home foreclosures and predatory lending. Although he doesn't have a specific plan, Sanders said he'd use his knowledge of the insurance industry to develop legislation.

Sanders also called for a new GI bill, better care for veterans, and more funding for the No Child Left Behind education program.

He said he will spend most of his time in the district and would communicate with constituents using text messaging.

"You'll write about me so much in your paper you'll have to order more ink," said Sanders. "I give God credit for whatever he lets me do. I'm on a mission."

David Esrati

Age: 45

Residence: Dayton

Education: Wright State University, B.S. 1988

Occupation: Owner of The Next Wave marketing and advertising company

Previous political office: None. Former candidate for Dayton City Commission and mayor.

Top issue: Taking the money out of politics.

Web site: www.esrati.com

Jane Mitakides

Age: 58

Residence: Washington Twp.

Education: Attended Wright State University

Occupation: Investment and benefits manager.

Previous political office: None. Former candidate for Congress in 2004.

Top issue: Jobs and economic growth

Web site: www.jane08.com

Charles Sanders

Age: 60

Residence:

Waynesville

Education: Wilmington College, B.S. 1978

Occupation: Retired from Delco Products

Previous

political office: Former Waynesville councilman and mayor; former Harveysburg councilman. Former congressional candidate.

Top Issue: Jobs and economic growth.

Web site: www.charleswsanders.org