In the race for the 3rd District congressional seat, it’s no surprise the U.S. economy is a hot topic as Election Day approaches.

Incumbent Dennis Moore, a Lenexa Democrat seeking his sixth term, says there’s plenty of blame to spread around but insists he’d rather look forward to forging a solution to the troubles plaguing the U.S. and global economies.

“Our economy is facing many challenges, but there are steps that we can take,” Moore said in response to a question from the Journal-World about the nation’s economic woes.

Among those steps, he said, are decreasing “the federal debt : providing relief to hard-working families (including efforts to stabilize the current housing market and provide relief through the stimulus package) and developing a comprehensive energy package that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, lowering gas prices and promoting new industries for American businesses and workers.”

Moore’s Republican challenger, Nick Jordan of Shawnee, says Congress and Moore are at the root of the sagging economy, and that’s where change is needed.

“We need market-driven reforms aimed at the heart of the problem – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and Congress’ love policies that forced high-risk loans. :

“We need to stop Dennis Moore’s and Congress’ $683 billion tax increase – the largest in American history – so that Kansans can keep more of what they earn in this tough economy. And I will push for an ‘all of the above’ approach to energy independence to lower energy and gas prices that are killing family and small business budgets,” Jordan said in his questionnaire response.

Moore, a former Johnson County district attorney, was first elected to the 3rd District seat in 1998. Jordan, a small-business owner in Shawnee and a state senator, is making his first run for federal office. The district includes east Lawrence and Johnson and Wyandotte counties.