The race to be the man to take Jim McCrery's place in Congress is a lot like the weather. It's getting hot.

Wednesday, the Republicans, Democrats and Independents spoke out at a meet the candidates forum.

Audience members named several issues they hoped candidates would address, including partisanship and the gridlock it seems to be causing in Congress.

Some other issues that surfaced were overhauling the federal tax code and reducing unemployment.

One issue that didn't seem to be on the minds of many who attended Wednesday's forum was the Iraq war.