Justice Department officials also are on standby for possible trouble in the district, where passions have historically run high and could be exacerbated this year because of the longtime feud between Fumo and would-be successor John J. Dougherty.

And even though Fumo dropped out of the race because of his impending trial on federal corruption charges, he has remained a presence on the campaign trail.

Dougherty and the other two candidates - Larry Farnese and Anne Dicker - are not far apart on most issues, with casinos and campaign financing being the notable exceptions.

Instead, the campaign has focused on who among them would be best to replace Fumo - who held the seat for 30 years - and maintain the First District's high profile in Harrisburg.

Dougherty, head of the city electricians union, which has one of the state's richest political action committees, has stressed his considerable influence, while Farnese and Dicker have portrayed themselves as reformers who would restore integrity to the district.

Dougherty, 49, has run a mostly positive campaign in his mailings and advertising, but on the stump and behind the scenes he has drawn attention to Fumo's quiet, but considerable, support for Farnese.

In his advertising and on the campaign trail, Farnese, 39, a Center City lawyer, has attacked Dougherty, calling him a "thug" and noting that Dougherty is the subject of an FBI investigation that already has resulted in the indictment of a boyhood friend on charges that include making "illegal payments" to the union official.

Dicker, a grassroots progressive, has been aiming most of her fire of late at Farnese over Fumo's role.

In a race where money was key, Dougherty outpaced his opponents in fund-raising and spending, as anyone who lives in the district can attest by the volume of his campaign literature that has arrived at their doors.

As of April 11, he had spent more than $561,000, with $243,000 on hand. Since then, he has received at least 168 contributions of more than $500, including seven totaling $97,000.

Farnese had spent $179,000 and had $83,700 on hand as of the April 11 filing. Money he has raised before and since then include $100,000 from a political action committee that lists Fumo aide Roseanne Pauciello as treasurer and $287,500 from six of Fumo's state Senate colleagues - five of them from the Pittsburgh area.

Dicker's spending was $26,000 as of April 11 with an additional $26,000 on hand. Since then she has reported receiving $3,500 in contributions of more than $500.

The district, home to 250,000 people, extends from the International Airport to Port Richmond and Brewerytown, including Center City and South Philadelphia.

In the closing hours of the campaign, Dougherty and Dicker piled on Farnese, seeking to portray him as a Fumo puppet.

Brian Abernathy, spokesman for Farnese, rejected the assertions of his opponents and indicated the two-front attack was a good thing in political terms.

"I'm glad we're not being ignored," he said.

The Committee of Seventy, a not-for-profit watchdog group, plans to dispatch 140 observers - mostly lawyers and law students - to prevent shenanigans at the district's 200 polling places.

Zack Stalberg, the committee's chief executive officer, said the stepped-up presence was inspired by a history of hard-nosed election tactics in the area, much of it attributed to members of Dougherty's union.

Farnese cited that history in requesting the involvement of the Justice Department's Voting Rights Division last week.

The department has notified the candidates that it is prepared to respond to reports of trouble at the polls.

Federal election monitors will be in the city anyway to see whether the city is adhering to a consent decree to provide ballots and voting assistance information in Spanish.