Fifth District Primary Election Today. Seriously.

As easy as it is to forget in the bustle of going back to school, going back to work, and Labor Day hangovers, the 5th district primary election is going on today. Five democrats and two republicans are battling it out to see who will fill the empty space that Marty "Daddy Warbucks" Meehan left when he became chancellor at UMass-Lowell.

The 5th Congressional district covers Lowell, Methuen, and Lawrence. The Democrats who are running - along with links to their websites - are:

--Eileen Donoghue, Lowell city councilor and former mayor of Lowell
--Jamie Eldridge, state representative
--Barry Finegold, state representative
--James Miceli, state representative
--Niki Tsongas, widow of Paul Tsongas

Beyond the crowded field of Democrats, the Republicans are actuary Tom Tierney and retired Air Force lieutenant colonel Jim Ogonowski. Ogonowski is also the brother of one of the pilots who died in 9/11.

At this stage, the big story is the showdown between Tsongas and Donoghue. No matter whether it's Tsongas or Donoghue, it's still a progressive win if either of them gets the seat because the winner would be the first Massachusetts Congresswoman in 25 years.

Even though this race is actually exciting, few people are going to be aware of it because of the election's unfortunate timing after Labor Day. The Globe had a hilarious passage on how hard the candidates are trying to get people out to vote. Jim Ogonowski has been making personal phone calls, much to the surprise of those who pick up the phone:

"Hi. Jim Ogonowski calling. I'm a Republican running for Congress. We've got a special election coming up, the primary's tomorrow. I'm calling to ask for your vote."
And a moment later, into the cellphone: "This is really Jim Ogonowski."

Image of the 5th District from Wikipedia.