In Ohio's 7th Congressional District, The Dispatch endorses Republican Steve Austria for the seat held by Rep. David L. Hobson for 18 years. Hobson, a Springfield Republican, is retiring after nine terms.

The district encompasses all of Greene, Clark, Fayette, Pickaway, Fairfield and Perry counties and southeastern Franklin and northwestern Ross counties.

Austria, of Beavercreek, is preferred over political newcomer Sharen Neuhardt, a Democrat, because of his 10 years of experience in the General Assembly. He is completing his second term in the Ohio Senate and serves in the GOP leadership as majority whip. Neuhardt, who describes herself as a political moderate, is making her first run for elective office.

Both candidates won contested primary races in March.

Austria has built a reputation as a solid state lawmaker who's able to work with Democrats. As a fiscal conservative, Austria said, his goals in Congress include eliminating wasteful spending and ensuring that the federal budget is balanced.

Austria will find achieving those goals among his biggest challenges if he wins the seat. Many congressional candidates decry the sky-high budget deficits, but once in Washington find it politically difficult to raise taxes or reduce spending. Austria said a balanced budget can be reached through spending cuts, not increased taxation.

Neuhardt and her husband, David, who is also a lawyer, own a farm in Miami Township of Greene County. She said she decided to run because, like many people, she is fed up with the federal government. She favors a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and believes that Congress and the Bush administration were pandering to voters when they approved a $168 billion economic-stimulus plan. She said that rather than sending Americans tax-rebate checks, the government should have spent the money on infrastructure, thus creating jobs.

In the past, Democratic candidates have mounted weak challenges to the well-liked Hobson, This year, two good candidates offer district voters a choice, but Austria gets the nod because of his legislative experience.