It seems rare when U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes makes a public appearance and his first name doesn't change or he doesn't get spontaneously reassigned to the U.S. Senate.

Sarbanes, the son of the legendary former U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes, doesn't find that troublesome, however. After all, the Democrat from Baltimore said he is trying to follow in his father's footsteps with an emphasis on integrity, a willingness to listen and hard work.

"I'm not trying to do anything more than adhere to those three basic principles," he said.

Sarbanes was first elected to Congress in 2007 and is vying for a third term this year. The incumbent said he is proud of working to create loan forgiveness programs for college graduates entering the public and nonprofit sector, opening up service opportunities for veterans and trying to broaden environmental education for children.

"The environment and a new energy policy is going to produce a lot of job opportunities," he said.

Sarbanes said his support of policies such as the health-care reform bill were known "from the get-go," and he understands such broad changes can cause anxiety. He believes an emphasis on constituent service and the ability to escape the Capitol Hill bubble can cross the divides in partisan debate.

The congressman said he has visited 120 stores on Main Streets like Annapolis' and set up meetings between small businesses and banks to try to hash out economic issues.

"I always emphasize the constituent service of my job," he said. "That is really what I am offering."

But Sarbanes still faces a variety of challengers with a variety of ideas, even if most have little fundraising. There are three people running against him in the Democratic primary.

John Kibler, a Democrat from Baltimore, said in an e-mail he wants to meet daily with 3rd District constituents about how he should vote, thereby helping to be "free from any of the corruption now prevalent" in Washington.

Michael Miller, a Democrat from Linthicum, said in an e-mail he is advocating government reforms such as a "major transfer of resources and responsibility from the federal government back to the states."

"Congress has a fundamental duty to conduct meaningful oversight on the effectiveness of government programs, not use every hearing as an opportunity for political grandstanding," he said. "A representative must represent those who voted him into office."

John Rea of Annapolis rounds out the four-man Democratic primary ticket.

From a financial standpoint, the strongest of the four Republican candidates appears to be Jim Wilhelm, a Naval Academy graduate who lives in Annapolis. He believes Congress has done a poor job reacting to concerns over the stimulus spending and financial regulation bills.

"They are not listening to the people," he said. "I was tired of yelling at the television."

Like most Republicans this election season, Wilhelm wants to cut taxes, balance the federal budget and have stronger enforcement of border security and immigration laws.

Wilhelm said he believes he is making positive gains simply by going door-to-door in a district where constituents tell him they have never even met a Republican candidate before. He wants to raise awareness about how "gerrymandered" the 3rd District is as it snakes from Owings Mills in Baltimore County into Annapolis.

"(Sarbanes) is not his dad," Wilhelm said. "Half the people think they are still voting for his dad."

Other Republicans running in the primary are Greg Bartosz of Baltimore, Thomas Defibaugh Sr. of Glen Burnie and Thomas E. "Pinkston" Harris of Baltimore.

The winners of the Sept. 14 primary also will face off against two third-party candidates in the general election. Jerry McKinley of Baltimore is running for the Libertarian Party and Alain Lareau of Columbia is running for the Constitution Party.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is another in a series of previews of contested races in the Sept. 14 state and county primary elections within The Capital's coverage area. For races in other districts, see hometownannapolis.com.