In Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District, where 51 percent of the voters are Democrats and 39 percent Republicans, the majority party is getting restless.

For three terms, conservative Republican Melissa Hart of Bradford Woods has represented the district, which covers Beaver and Lawrence counties and parts of Allegheny, Butler, Westmoreland and Mercer counties. She has won those elections, in part, due to feeble Democratic opposition. All that has changed in 2006.

Democrats have two sterling candidates to consider in the May 16 primary: Georgia Berner, a Zelienople woman who runs a business in New Castle, and Jason Altmire, a McCandless man who was a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center executive until he entered the race. Neither is a politician or a household name, but each is running a vigorous campaign and believes the GOP incumbent, at a time when President Bush's approval numbers are in the tank, is vulnerable.

Although both are eager to take the fight to Rep. Hart, the Post-Gazette gives Mr. Altmire, 38, the advantage and recommends his nomination.

Ms. Berner, 63, is CEO of Berner International Corp., a manufacturer of air curtains and energy recovery equipment that employs 65. She is the winner of numerous small-business awards and takes pride in providing her employees with full health-care coverage -- an "important value," she says -- and a 401K savings plan. She has served on key regional boards, including the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission, the Pennsylvania Economy League and the Lawrence County Economic Development Corp.

She and her opponent agree that access to health care is the top concern among voters. Ms. Berner's solution is a universal payer plan that would cover all Americans and take the burden off employers. She believes the proposal failed during the Clinton administration not because it was wrong or too expensive, but because it was sabotaged by a "huge campaign of fear" from industry foes and Republicans.

Mr. Altmire has a different view and would expand health coverage with a more incremental approach. He'd push for legislation to allow all Americans to buy insurance through Medicare, which has low administrative costs. He'd seek to cut medical costs by reimbursing doctors and hospitals based on quality, not quantity, of care. And he'd place all privately insured people in the same community-rated pool and make it difficult for insurance companies to raise their premiums.

The candidates are more in sync on how to preserve Social Security. They both reject Republican attempts to privatize the retirement system and believe more revenue can be captured if incomes are taxed for Social Security to their full extent, rather than capped at $90,000. ("There's no reason for Bill Gates and Michael Jordan to stop paying their Social Security tax at $90,000," Mr. Altmire said.) Ms. Berner opposes raising the eligibility age for collecting benefits and Mr. Altmire wants a national commission to find a solution for the overall "entitlement crisis," which looms even larger with Medicare.

Their biggest divide is over abortion. Ms. Berner is pro-choice and Mr. Altmire is pro-life. Although he supports embryonic stem-cell research and family-planning funding, he argues that his anti-abortion stance is more in keeping with the views of people in the 4th District. Ms. Berner says her position is part of the American mainstream and she, like other abortion-rights advocates, wants to see more pre-conception education to reduce the number of abortions. "Abstinence-only isn't enough," she said.

Both have big-name Democrats in their corner. For Ms. Berner, it's former state Treasurer Barbara Hafer. For Mr. Altmire, it's U.S. Rep. John Murtha; he also has the endorsements of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, the National Education Association and the Democratic committees of Beaver County and Allegheny County.

With either as the nominee, Rep. Hart will have her hands full this fall, but because of his greater command and expertise on the pivotal issue of health care, we give Jason Altmire the edge and the Post-Gazette endorsement.