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Negotiations over the $700 billion bailout have been a major campaign distraction, say congressional incumbents seeking re-election in November, but their challengers call the struggling economy a convenient excuse for avoiding debates.

"This is a travesty for the people," said challenger Peter James (R), who said U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards has canceled appearances at at least three forums that community groups have tried to arrange this fall.

James went on to say that Edwards' absence is a repeat of the problems for which she criticized her predecessor, longtime Congressman Albert R. Wynn (D), whom she defeated in the February primary.

"Donna Edwards claims that Albert Wynn was an absentee congressman," he said. "She is following his playbook. … Fourth district voters are not deserving of an open and public debate of the issues before the people."

The refusals by incumbent Democrats to debate this season is a disservice to constituents and the candidates, said Craig Holman, a spokesman for the national watchdog group Public Citizen, based in Washington.

"It is not appropriate," said Holman, adding that refusing to debate is a common tactic for candidates who hold strong leads. "Debating gets the opposing view out, and that is good for democracy. All candidates owe it to the public to debate."

Edwards (D) declined to comment about the lack of debates but explained that the nation's economy is her priority.

"I don't really have my focus there," Edwards said, referring to campaigning, in a meeting with Gazette editors Wednesday.

District 4 stretches from the Frederick County line in Montgomery County down through Hyattsville and along the Beltway in southwest Prince George's County.

On June 17, Edwards took more than 80 percent of the vote in a special election for the seat after Wynn announced an early retirement. James received about 18 percent of the vote.

Edwards said she is focused on reaching out to residents rather than debating James.

Rep. Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (D-Dist. 8) of Kensington has also been criticized by his challengers for missing debates. In the presidential campaign, U.S. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) made headlines when McCain announced he was suspending his campaign to focus on the bailout plan and would miss a nationally televised debate, which he ultimately attended.

"There are really difficult issues going on right now," said Steve Hudson (R), a surgeon running against Van Hollen. "This shows that it's difficult for the incumbent to face up to the fact that Congress was implicit in all this."

Van Hollen said he had to decline the League of Women Voters forum Oct. 2 to attend party caucuses on the bailout bill. The package, which had failed in a close House vote a week before, passed Oct. 3.

The forum was the only debate scheduled this election season, Van Hollen said.

In a rare departure from their protocols, Montgomery County's League of Women Voters allowed the incumbent to send a legislative director in his place. In addition to Hudson, three other candidates attended: Gordon Clark (Green party), Deborah Vollmer (D) and Lih Young (D).

"I'm sure my constituents understand the importance of attending votes," Van Hollen said this week.

But the absence irked Hudson, who said the congressman should have attended the debate.

"I think it was a poor choice," said Hudson, adding that he would have opposed the bailout package. "It should be a message to the people that he was absent."

Officials with the Prince George's County Human Services Coalition, a group of 90 local nonprofit groups, said they tried to get James and Edwards to appear in an informal forum at their meeting Sept. 10.

"We invited both candidates," Coalition director Jerry Adams said. "The Edwards camp said she was not available, so there you go."

James and Hudson said the absences highlight the need for voters to pick new representatives Nov. 4. Both men said they wanted to challenge the incumbents on their support of the $700 billion bailout package.

"Strategically, it probably makes a lot of sense," James said of Edwards' lack of debating this year. "What people want to hear about is this bailout mess. I don't believe she has any knowledge or clue of the situation we're in."

Both Hudson and James are considered long shots in districts dominated by Democrats. Refusing to debate helps keep the challengers from gaining ground, said Mykel Harris, head of the Prince George's County Republican Central Committee.

"For these smaller opponents, there's no way they can buy the media time to get their message out there," he said. "These guys are left printing their little pieces of paper, campaigning door-to-door and talking with people one-on-one."

Some Democrats said holding debates in "lopsided" races is also a disservice to voters.

"The public doesn't really have but one viable candidate in either race," said Mel Franklin, head of the Greater Marlboro Democratic Club in Prince George's County. "[The challengers] don't meet the minimum threshold of viability where there would need to be debates. That's the honest story."

Other Democrats said the lawmakers are busy.

"In a different environment, there would likely be a debate," said Terry Speigner, chairman of the Prince George's County Democratic Central Committee. "These folks are crisscrossing their districts, answering the questions of their constituents. Come Nov. 4, people will judge them for what they are doing, not for how many debates they've done."

A spokeswoman for the Montgomery County League of Women voters said her group and the Prince George's County chapter decided not to hold forums for District 4 because the general election was so soon after the special election and because of scheduling issues. A nonpartisan group, the League is often called to organize campaign forums in advance of elections.

"We held more than one over the summer when there was a special election," said Diane Hibino, president of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County.

Also, officials were not able to find a co-sponsor for a District 4 forum this season, she said.

Hibino said that Hudson and others may have benefited from Van Hollen's absence from the District 8 forum.

"Because the incumbent is in office and is quite popular, it was beneficial for the other candidates to appear on their own," she said.