With one national party convention over and the other set for this week, the general election campaign is about to begin. One of the choices southern Ohio voters will be faced with is whether to re-elect the region’s congressman or to support his challenger.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-6, was first elected in 2010 and is seeking a fourth term. He is being challenged by Democrat Michael Lorentz, who has served as the mayor of Belpre since 2005, the first in the city’s history to be elected to a third consecutive term.

Johnson, who grew up on a family farm, served in the U.S. Air Force, co-founded information technology consulting company Johnson-Schley Management Group, and has provided IT support at an executive level as a defense contractor for the military, touted his resume in his appeal to voters.

“I think when people in southeast and southern Ohio look at my credentials, they see a representative who has lived and walked the walk,” he said. “I have a unique life experience. There are few business owners or veterans in Congress and it’s rare to see someone who has done it all.”

Lorentz cited his experience in several offices and familiarity with his community, where he said he has “deep roots.”

“I am from this area and have lived in Belpre my entire life,” he said. “I’ve served on the school board, the city council and the Chamber of Commerce. I’m really more of a public servant than a politician.”

Johnson said he wants to focus more on the economy, if elected to another term.

“People are concerned about jobs and opportunities for their kids,” he said.

He said he wants to save the coal industry and stop what he referred to as a “war on coal” in the form of environmental regulation.

“We also need to spur on the economic boom of the oil and gas reserves,” he said. “We need to stop regulation from strangling the lifeblood of business. Many people think the American dream has passed them by.”

Lorentz, who worked as a plant supervisor in the chemical industry for 8 ½ years, said one of the things needed for business to thrive is an investment in infrastructure, particularly if it is to sustain the boom from natural gas.

“Our roads, bridges, electrical grids, gas lines, water lines are all very old, some of them were built in the 1930s,” he said. “We don’t have the infrastructure to support growth. A lot of the grants have dried up and we can’t afford to spend money on infrastructure.”

He said competition for appropriations is tight and he wants to fight to “get more equitable funding for Ohio.”

Lorentz said that he is “the kind of guy who likes to get out in front of things,” citing economic and infrastructure improvements in his city. He said he is running against “an absentee congressman.”

“I know Mr. Johnson and have met him numerous times,” he said. “But, from what I see, there isn’t one beneficial program with his name on it.”

Johnson pointed to his work in Congress on bills related to combating the opiate addiction in Ohio.

“I’ve been leading the fight with anti-opiate legislation,” he said. “We need to identify those struggling with addiction, which affects all walks of life, and help them get early treatment.”

He also cited his work in helping to secure funding for the former nuclear site at the Piketon Uranium Enrichment Plant in Portsmouth for clean-up work.

“Every year, it’s a battle to get funding,” he said. “It’s important to be able to keep us on track.”

Lorentz also spoke of the opiate crisis, noting deaths from overdoses in the region, and cited forums he has participated in on the subject. He agreed that treatment is a key concern, rather than “putting people in jail.”

The issue of trade, which has been a major topic of the presidential race, was addressed by both candidates.

Lorentz said many of the trade pacts with other nations “are not good deals” and have led to job losses.

“We’ve lost 75 jobs here at the Dupont site,” he said. “At the old Union Carbide site, people lost jobs because of steel prices.”

He said trade deals are not creating a climate for jobs to stay.

“We need them to be more fair and equitable,” he said.”

Johnson said he wants trade deals that give American workers an advantage, but that engaging with foreign markets was a must.

“Ninety-five percent of the world’s customers live outside the U.S.,” he said. “The idea that America can become isolationist is not a healthy way of thinking. We’ve got to have access to those markets.”

Johnson said he considers himself a proponent of “fair trade,” rather than “free trade,” and that deals should be looked at as “export optimization agreements.”

Saying “free trade” conjures images of Chinese barges, loaded with imports,” he said. “We need to stop those who violate agreements.”

With polls showing Ohio as a battleground state and the presidential race between Democratic former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Republican real estate tycoon and reality TV star Donald Trump tied, the candidates both felt the national campaigns could impact local politics.

Johnson, a former backer of Gov. John Kasich’s bid, who, unlike the governor, has now endorsed Trump, pointed out that, in the Republican primary, Trump carried 17 of 18 counties in the district.

He took issue with remarks Clinton made in a discussion about the need to provide assistance to laid off Appalachian miners.

In a March interview with CNN’s Roland Martin, Clinton said, “I’m the only candidate which has a policy about how to bring economic opportunity using clean renewable energy as the key into coal country. Because we’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business, right?”

Johnson said the remarks demonstrated Clinton’s opposition to the coal industry.

“Hillary Clinton has made it her goal to shut down industries that provide Appalachia’s lifeblood,” he said. “And she has said she wants to outlaw hydraulic fracking. Those are environmental policies that don’t sit well with voters.”

Johnson cited Trump’s experience in the private sector and said that he is “a business man who has had to navigate” that terrain.

Lorentz stated his opposition to Trump and said, “In my mind, the Republican Party has not had a candidate.”

He said Trump has “failed” at business, pointing to the bankruptcies of Trump companies.

“He’s said that ‘wages are too high,’” Lorentz said. “ I don’t he has a clue what southeast Ohioans want.”

Lorentz also took issue with the tone of Trump’s campaign rhetoric.

“Contempt breeds contempt,” he said.

While polling has not been released in the race, the Cook Political Report, known for its analysis and predictions of elections, has given the advantage to Johnson, categorizing the race as a “solid Republican” seat. In its most recent ranking, Cook has assigned the race a designation of +8 percent for Johnson.

The general election is set for Nov. 8.