Democrat Bill Bowles believes he has the experience necessary to address the number one concern of the voters in Bristol County's 2nd District: the economy.

Bowles, of Attleboro, is running against Republican George Ross for Republican state Rep. John Lepper's seat in what is one of the Democrats' few opportunities to expand their already sizable majority in the state House of Representatives.

In an interview with PolitickerMA.com, Bowles said he consistently hears that the state's current financial issue is on the minds of voters in the district.

"The number one issue is the economy," Bowles said. "People are struggling just to pay their fuel and energy costs. They are concerned about their jobs and the jobs that are leaving the state."

Bowles said his experience as the chair of Attleboro's Finance Committee makes him more qualified to address these issues than his opponent.

"I am serving my third term as finance committee chairman and my opponent has never even served on the finance committee," he said. "Everything that happens on Beacon Hill involves money, so I think the financial experience, as well as my previous accomplishments, separate me from my opponent."

Ross did not respond to numerous requests for an interview.

Several local analysts told PolitickerMA.com that this is a race to watch to see if the Democrats can pick up another seat in the state House. It should be noted, they said, that Bowles faced a tough primary fight for the nomination against Kate Jackson, beating her by less than 30 votes. Bowles finished that primary with less money in his bank account ($7,055) than Ross ($10,183). Bowles also raised less than Ross during that period, $12,487 to $16,305.

Nevertheless, Democratic sources in the district are expecting the race to be close through Election Day and are also touting Bowles' experience on the finance committee as evidence that he will be a more effective advocate for bringing state funds back to the district than Ross would be.

"What's significant about this election is that we're going to have a freshman state representative, and I would say having a Democrat with his financial expertise in these financial times would be extraordinarily important," said James Humphrey, chairman of the Attleboro Ward 6 Democratic Committee. "Who is going to help bring Attleboro the most local aid?"

Bowles also noted that he opposes Question 1, the ballot measure that would abolish the state income tax, saying that it would be "a huge mistake."

Ultimately, Bowles said, voters should remember his experience on financial issues when casting their ballots.

"I have the experience and the record of proven accomplishment," he said, "to show that I could come up with creative ways to avoid [the financial crisis] impacting local aid."

Note: Bowles and Ross are scheduled to debate Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Bristol Community College's campus at Texas Instruments former property in Attleboro.