Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss did not attend the first statewide forum for candidates seeking his job, but he was there in spirit Sunday afternoon as Democrats bashed the lawmaker and his ties to President Bush.

Five Democrats and one Libertarian seeking Chambliss' job fielded questions at a 90-minute session in downtown Atlanta hosted by the League of Women Voters of Georgia and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Democrats united in their attacks on Chambliss, but sparred with each other over political contributions from special-interest groups known as political action committees, or PACs.

"The sun is setting on Saxby Chambliss," said candidate Rand Knight as the 150 people in the audience burst into laughter and applause. "It's Knight-time."

This was the first statewide forum for the candidates and comes just six weeks before the July 15 primary.

The Democratic contest has been an under-the-radar event so far, but Sunday's forum began to publicly define the candidates and how they plan to position themselves to be the party's nominee to take on Chambliss in November.

Democrats Jim Martin, a veteran former state lawmaker, and DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Vernon Jones stressed their experience as setting them apart from the field. Former WSB-TV reporter Dale Cardwell and retired businessman Josh Lanier portrayed themselves as outsiders who can take on the money-driven culture of Washington.

Libertarian candidate Allen Buckley called for smaller government and a get-tough attitude on the federal deficit.

Cardwell and Lanier are the only two Democratic candidates who have vowed not to take PAC money, which underpins most political campaigns. Critics say it unduly influences elected officials.

Lanier said he thinks money-dominated politics have increasingly taken the country in the wrong direction.

"Washington is viewed as a pot of money that we distribute to our friends or those who have supported us," Lanier said.

Cardwell said Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama sent "shock waves" throughout the party when he recently urged Democrats not to take PAC money.

Knight, a businessman and consultant who has been endorsed by the state chapter of the AFL-CIO, responded: "I do take money from good Democratic PACs because I believe in representing people on the ground."

Cardwell immediately shot back: "There are some good PACs out there," he said. "They might get me by the heart, but they won't have me by the neck."

Jones, who arrived for the forum 30 minutes late, dismissed the idea that PAC money taints politicians.

"If you're ethical going in, you'll be ethical coming out," Jones said. "If you're honest, you're honest —- bottom line."

On other issues, the Democrats agreed that the U.S. needs to draw down troops in Iraq and devote more attention to Afghanistan.

"It's a failed policy that has dramatic and terrible consequences for our country," Martin said of the Iraq war. "A clear message needs to be sent to Iraq that we are deploying our troops away from Iraq."

On health care, Jones stressed his legislative experience working on PeachCare, the state insurance program for the children of the working poor. Jones said he can translate that state experience into action at the federal level.

"We're providing prisoners in Guantanamo Bay better health care than our children here," Jones said.

The Democrats all called for some form of expanded or universal health care, drawing a sharp retort from Libertarian Buckley, who said universal care sounds good but is fundamentally flawed and would require a "50 percent" tax hike to fund.

The candidates advanced an array of suggestions to confront the current oil crisis.

Buckley called for the expanded use of fledgling hydrogen technology. Knight suggested the use of agricultural waste to produce fuel. Jones called for tougher auto standards and "energy diversity."

Cardwell and Martin proposed cracking down on speculators and day-traders who have been blamed for pushing prices artificially higher.

Lanier complained that politicians in Washington have been talking about an energy policy since Jimmy Carter was president in the 1970s.

"We can talk all we want, but we are not doing it," he said. The reason, according to Lanier: money from lobbyists driving national energy policy.