Especially a Republican.


Judy Wechter was preparing dinner for her husband and teenage son.


"We're a Democratic household," she told Mike Brubaker of Lititz, who was going door-to-door on a recent warm evening in Wechter's neighborhood.


But whatever was on the stove must have boiled over because Brubaker engaged Wechter in a 20-minute discussion about today's disenfranchised citizenry who see their needs and concerns fall through the cracks of platforms built on partisan politics.


"I'm not here to convert you," Brubaker told Wechter. "I'm here to learn."


Before he turned to go, Wechter had agreed to invite Brubaker for some coffee talk with some of her fellow Democrats.


Brubaker, 48, is the Republican candidate for the state Senate's 36th District.


He's big on what he calls "coalition building," getting people of diverse backgrounds and ideals together to solve a problem that affects them all.


The Democratic candidate is Jason Leisey, 26, of Mountville, an Iraqi war veteran who was seriously wounded by a suicide bomber in 2004.


Leisey is focused on serving his community and putting people before politics.


The men are competing for a job that doesn't come open very often. Republican Sen. Noah Wenger is retiring after 30 years in the Legislature.


The race is one of the hottest contests in Lancaster County this year.


With just five weeks remaining before the Nov. 7 general election, both candidates have been spending weeknights and Saturdays visiting homes and introducing themselves to voters and non-voters alike.


They're attending community fairs, marching in parades, facing off in public forums, speaking at small and large gatherings, and loading their campaign Web sites to get their messages out to the people of the 36th.


Candidates for change


Government reform is an issue shared by both Leisey and Brubaker.


Spurred to run, in part, by the middle-of-the-night pay raise legislators voted themselves in summer 2005, Leisey would like to end legislative perks and per diems, as well as bring their pension payments more in line with the private sector. He also advocates requiring lobbyists to disclose to whom, and how much, they contribute.


And he criticizes Brubaker for accepting money from lawmakers who Leisey says "helped author the midnight pay raise," including Wenger and Sen. Chip Brightbill, 48th District, who was shot down by the pay-raise flak in his primary bid for re-election.


Brubaker says, unfortunately, it takes a lot of money to run a winning campaign. And he said he has not promised favors in return for the money.


In the primary race, Brubaker raised nearly $300,000, something he said he had to do to campaign successfully in the primary against Heidi Wheaton, who had nearly $300,000 of her own money to spend on advertising, including pricey TV commercials.


Leisey said he accepts no political action money or any single donation over $1,000. "We don't have a lot of money to campaign with," he told a resident. "So we knock on as many doors as possible. The 36th is a big district."


The soldier


A fall chill was in the air one evening as Leisey and his wife, Katie, stumped through Landisville.


With his battle scars evident, Leisey talked to residents about his desire to be a reformer in Harrisburg. In a highly Republican district, Leisey appears to easily garner residents' interest. He needs 33 percent of the district's Republican vote to win the election.


Most people stepped out onto their porches to chat with him and accept campaign literature. Some who claim to be Republicans have said they will cross the line and vote for Leisey.


"A lot of people are just happy that someone is taking the time to come to their doors," he said.


Besides the pay raise, Leisey said, other top concerns of residents in the 36th are rising property taxes and possible loss of land to a Route 23 bypass.


"We need to continue to revitalize the city and other urban areas because that would ultimately protect land throughout Lancaster County from suburban sprawl," he said.


Leisey, a graduate of Hempfield High School, said he bones up on the issues by reading and talking to people experienced in areas such as government, health care, law enforcement, land use and finance.


Leisey enlisted in the Pennsylvania National Guard on his 17th birthday. He did basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., the summer before his senior year. After graduating, he returned to Fort Benning for infantry training.


He began his freshman year as a finance major at Shippensburg University. He left school, however, to start an Internet-based business. "Things did not work out," Leisey said. "We were young and in over our heads."


Leisey went to work for a wholesale distributor. He paid his debts and enrolled in Harrisburg Area Community College, where he earned his associate degree.


In 2003, he received his first National Guard assignment as part of a peace-keeping force in Kosovo. His pre-deployment training focused on how to communicate and work with the civilian population in a tense environment.


A staff sergeant, Leisey spent eight months in Gnjilane, Kosovo, mediating between Serbs and Albanians.


He volunteered to serve in Iraq, and in November 2004 was deployed for a one-year tour of duty in Bayji, about 150 miles north of Baghdad.


In April 2005, Leisey had three days to go before a two-week leave. He had married Katie six months earlier, and was eager to see her and his family. But the plane was full and Leisey volunteered his seat to a fellow staff sergeant.


The decision changed the course of his life.


One evening Leisey and his platoon were driving back from a mission along the road that stretches between Kuwait and Turkey. About 100 yards from the gate at his base, Leisey, a passenger in a Humvee, saw headlights bearing down on them. "I thought, 'This is it, I am going to die,'" he said.


The car exploded into the Humvee.


Leisey's chin strap burned deep into his jaw line. His left ear was charred off and the fingers on his left hand were cooked. His left arm was burned and the fabric of his sleeve melted into his skin.


Leisey said he didn't know the extent of his injuries, and stayed awake until he was evacuated by air to a hospital in Mosul. "I wanted to make sure all of my men were taken care of," he said.


About 10 minutes after arriving in Mosul, Leisey fell unconscious. He woke up 2ï¿bf½ weeks later in a military hospital in San Antonio, Texas. His wife and his mother were by his side.


His raspy voice strains as he tells the story. Leisey's vocal cords were damaged by the burning fumes he inhaled at the bombing scene as well as the air tube that stayed so long in his throat.


He spent a year at the Texas hospital. Katie turned down a local job offer as a pharmaceutical sales representative to be with her husband.


"Katie and I believe everything happens for a reason," said Leisey, who admits voters might think he's too young to be a state senator. "I look at it as an extension of my public service.ï¿bf½ï¿bf½


He said he was disgusted to learn of the pay raise and lobbyists' antics at the Pennsylvania Capitol. "I asked myself, 'Is this what I fought for?' ï¿bf½ï¿bf½


Former Sen. Bob Dole's book, "One Soldier's Story," inspired him to consider public office.


When Wenger announced his retirement, Leisey, who returned home earlier this year, saw this as an opportunity to realize his dream.


Township supervisor


Meanwhile, Brubaker was mulling his own future.


A Warwick Township supervisor for 10 years, and chairman of the county supervisorsï¿bf½ association, Brubaker loves representing his community.


A native of the county, he has an extensive background in agriculture and management. He holds a degree in agronomy from West Virginia University. He founded Brubaker Corp., a consulting firm for project management. He also is founder and director of US Landcare, Washington, D.C., which focuses on conservation; and he's founder and director of Agricultural Issues Forum, aimed at improving communication among agri-business leaders.


"People are fed up," he said while campaigning in Ephrata.

The pay raise is one thing, but Brubaker says the resounding message he's hearing from voters is for property tax reform.


He stopped in a driveway along Martin Avenue where Ken Schlicher sat in a lawn chair. Behind him was an open garage, where tables were laden with household items for a yard sale.


The 73-year-old retiree and his wife weren't having a sale for fun. "We live on a fixed income, and property taxes go up every year. That's why we have yard sales," he said.


Schlicher said he doesn't vote, because he believes most politicians only give to themselves. "I'm not a voter, but I pay my taxes," he said.


Brubaker said as a senator, he would represent voters and non-voters in the district, adding he would never vote to raise his own pay.


A few doors up, Sheila Funk chatted with Brubaker through her screen door. She said she did not have any state-related issues on her mind, but she was upset over the lack of a morning crossing guard outside her children's school along Academy Road.


Brubaker made some notes. Three weeks later, he arranged a conference call involving himself, Mrs. Funk and Ephrata Police Chief Steve Annibali. The chief said he would extend coverage to that corner, according to Brubaker.


Getting people together to solve a problem. "That's just an example of what I want to do," Brubaker said.


Interest groups


Both Brubaker and Leisey are backed by a variety of groups representing specific interests.


Leisey has a contingent of military veterans on his side, as well as some Republicans.


Brubaker has a small group of Democrats behind him, as well as more than a dozen "coalitions," including business representatives.


Brubaker also has spent the past five months touring sites of concern, such as factories, farms and even the county prison. Last month, he and his wife, Cindy, spent four hours with Warden Vincent Guarini, where they learned about the county's work-release program. Brubaker said he is impressed with the program, and has encouraged those in his business coalition to consider hiring through the rehabilitation program, which has significantly reduced the recidivism rate.


Brubaker said he sees himself first as a citizen, and then as a candidate. "I am more interested in finding a solution,ï¿bf½ï¿bf½ he said, ï¿bf½than finger pointing."


For more information about each of the candidates and their stances on issues, visit their Web sites. Jason Leisey can be found at www.jasonleiseyforstatesena... and Mike Brubaker can be found at www.BrubakerForSenate.com.