Nearing election day 2010, the race has tightened to fill Massachusetts’ fifth congressional district’s seat, as Republican frontrunner Jon Golnik attempts to beat out incumbent Congresswoman Niki Tsongas in a district which has remained in the hands of the Democrats for almost 40 years.

Both campaigns are steadying their focus on this year’s hot topics, such as health care, social security, unemployment and immigration, on the minds of the working class immigrant population which dominates some of the area. Comprised of old mill cities in the Merrimack Valley including Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill, the GOP is making a final push to gain hold of the traditionally Democratic region. Independents Dale Brown and Bob Clark also remain in the race.

Despite the anti-incumbent attitude sweeping the nation, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, wife of the late Congressman Paul Tsongas, has taken the lead, according to recent polls. The Smith College graduate ran unopposed for her first term during a special election in Oct. 2007, when Marty Meehan resigned to take over as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. As the daughter of a military officer, Tsongas’ political career has been defined by military-related legislation, including bills to fund light-weight body armor for troops and improved medical care for veterans.

She has toured Afghanistan and Iraq to work with women on the prevention of sexual assaults in the military. Recently, she defended the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. In lieu of some criticism she has received on what critics call her limited transparency, Tsongas developed programs through the internet and physically in the community to maintain communication with residents of the district including “Congress on Your Corner,” a series of events hosted by Tsongas in different towns allowing community members to speak to the Congresswoman in person.

Jon Golnik, a Republican small business owner from Westford, Mass., has adopted the approach taken by Republican Senator Scott Brown during his election early this year to fill the seat held by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. Golnik utilizes his small town charm and pick-up truck to cast himself as a regular guy, with his website proclaiming that “Jon is not a politician.”

After graduating from Dartmouth College, Golnik spent time as an AIG agent on Wall Street and collected signatures for Mitt Romney’s race for governor. His campaign, which has been endorsed by the Eagle Tribune, the Lowell Sun and the Irish American Republicans, has focused on Tsongas’ shortcomings and what his campaign has said is her lockstep agenda with the Democratic-controlled Congress. In his advertisements and rhetoric, he accuses the congresswoman of voting with the leadership in Washington, including Nancy Pelosi, “98 percent of the time.” Golnik has managed to develop strong campaign messages.

Recognizing that many districts in Massachusetts remain blue despite Brown’s January win, the Republican Party has shifted its focus on swaying districts across the country, leaving Golnik unable to obtain significant fund raising dollars. So far, Golnik has acquired an estimated $173,000 in private donations, while Tsongas has raked in nearly $1.3 million according to the campaign finance website OpenSecrets.org.

The hot topics at the forefront of the campaign in the district coincide with leading national political trends, jobs, healthcare, immigration and global warming.

As a district with a number of “gateway cities” such as Lowell and Lawrence with sizable immigrant populations, immigration plays a major role in the politics of District 5. Golnik has taken a conventional Republican position, focusing his agenda on securing the borders and strictly enforcing visa expirations. Tsongas applauds the work of immigrants in the area, but holds strong on building programs which encourage immigrants to work towards citizenship and paying taxes, and holding employers accountable for enforcing legal employment.

Throughout his campaign, Golnik has criticized Tsongas’ support of President Barack Obama’s health care bill and the Democrats’ approach to the $787 billion stimulus package. He insists he will work to repeal the current health care legislation and says he would hope to draft a bill allowing individuals to purchase interstate insurance, as well as advocating for the abolition of state health care mandates. On the economy, Golnik has proposed cutting the 35 percent corporate tax rate to 30 and giving small businesses who hire new employees a $10,000 tax credit.

“We don’t have a revenue issue in this country. We have a spending issue,” said Golnik in a recent debate sponsored by the Lowell Sun. “Ms. Tsongas, the people of this district are not the government’s ATM machines.”

Tsongas fought back during the same debate.

“[It] is now in place and people don’t want it to go away. Give it a chance to work. I think my opponent simply wants to put Wall Street back on Easy Street.”

In an interview with GateHouse News Service, Tsongas expressed her thoughts on bipartisanship during a time of volatile inter-party relationships.

“With every piece of legislation I’ve filed, I’ve really sought to go across the aisle and generate support,” Tsongas said. “We have clear differences; there’s no denying, we have fundamental differences around so much on the large scale.”

One of her latest bipartisan projects is a bill pending review, which she cosponsored with Republican Mike Turner of Ohio, outlining a program to protect victims of sexual assault in the military. She is also working with Republicans to adjust the requirements for struggling small business owners to borrow money from their 401K retirement plan in order to sustain business practices.

The two other candidates, Dale Brown and Bob Clark, both independents, have struggled to gain substantial recognition within the race.

Brown, a retired engineer and Vietnam veteran from Chelmsford, Mass. leads his campaign with issues revolving around national security and the Iraq War. He believes the U.S. should remove itself from Iraq and focus on national security along the Mexican border, insisting that immigration is the real threat.

Bob Clark addresses currency manipulation and keeping jobs within the nation’s borders and in the hand of the American people.

The nation’s midterm elections will be held on Nov. 2.

Lindsey Davis can be reached at [email protected].