"He loves this," said his daughter, Charlotte Fife Jefferson.

After getting permission to hang two small campaign signs on the homeowner's chain-link fence, Fife and his daughter moved on next door.

Six years ago, Fife walked these streets to win a seat in the Utah House of Representatives.

This time, it's different.

Fife, 67, is running for Senate District 1 in Salt Lake City's heavily Democratic west side.

Fife has an advantage as a Democrat and 50-year resident of Poplar Grove, but the battle he faces remains difficult.

His opponent, Sen. James Evans, is a well-spoken, hard-nosed businessman who spends most of his days campaigning. He also is the first Republican to represent the district in nearly 70 years.

"There is a presumption of ownership [of this seat] by the Democrats," Evans said.

But as an African American who grew up in South Carolina, he said, "I understand when people feel disenfranchised."

Evans talked about becoming the "unwarranted" target of Democrats after winning election two years ago. His predecessor, Pete Suazo, had died in an ATV accident, and his widow, Alicia, was appointed to serve out his term. She started to run for election, but dropped out. Democrats say Evans' election was a fluke; Evans says he won fairly then and will again.

"My philosophy is that if people are pleased with what you're doing, they will vote you back in," he says.

No matter that Fife has orders from Democratic leadership to reclaim District 1.

"Compare my record to [Fife's]," Evans said. "The only reason that I should be re-elected is because I'm delivering tangible results for the district."

That, he said, would be his work on Gov. Olene Walker's $30 million reading initiative, legislation to establish a multicultural health center, and an effort to make prescription drugs more affordable through a plan called RxConnect, which is listed on the state health department's Web site.

"The question is, do they [the district] want continued performance, or do they want to change direction and have continued promises?" he asked.

Fife counters that his promises are supported by nearly 50 years of service to the district.

As a past member of the Poplar Grove Community Council, he worked to improve housing and development. He is also a civil engineer, a small-business owner and father of five.

The key to stopping crime is communication with the city and funding for after-school programs and education, said Fife, who supports the Jones-Mascaro proposal that would help fund education with selective tax increases for large families and the wealthy.

Evans' ideas to fund education also sound like a strategy to woo Democratic voters, some pundits say. Recently, he said he would support a "line-item, across-the-board pay raise for teachers."

"No political party is going to tell me how to cast a vote," Evans said.

Similarly, Fife says that as a Democrat, he thinks outside party lines. "There needs to be a balance," he said.

For more on Evans, log on to http://www.votejamesevans.com. Fife can be reached at 801-521-7383.