Who are Tommy Crangle, Mark DeVol, Greg Goodwin and Art Rhodes?

And what makes them think they can beat former Tennessee Republican Party Chairwoman Robin Smith's name recognition, attorney Chuck Fleischmann's money and Bradley County Sheriff Tim Gobble's security background in the Republican primary race for Tennessee's 3rd District congressional seat?

Each one of the four paints himself as a true conservative, and says he's the right candidate for the job.

Nine candidates want to succeed U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., who is not seeking re-election next year because he is running for governor. Rep. Wamp has held the congressional seat since 1994.

Mr. Rhodes argues that his experience sets him apart.

"My experience outweighs everyone else's experience," he said. "Who is going to be ready to serve on Day One, and who is going to need on-the-job training?"

Mr. Rhodes cited his time working in the office of former U.S. Rep. Mike Parker, R-Miss., as well as his work as an observer in Florida during the disputes in the 2000 presidential campaign.

Mr. Goodwin said he's getting some support from national Republican research organizations, but that it has been tough to get his name out there.

"My work is getting out more and more," he said.

Mr. Goodwin said he first gained some national attention in 2005, when he wrote an essay on the economic system and how money comes into politics.

"The people of the United States don't really have an input into the system anymore," he said.

His campaign staff will be in charge of making sure no funding for his campaign comes from the special interests he has criticized, Mr. Goodwin said.

Mr. Crangle said last fall's national elections, in which Democrats took the presidency as well as Congress, motivated him to enter the fray.

"I just decided that I wasn't going to stand by the sideline any longer and expect somebody to go to Washington to do what I knew I could do," he said.

Mr. Crangle said he's not a politician, but argues that it should be better that he's not.

"What I'm betting on is that the principles that I've outlined, that people are going to respond to those," he said.

Mr. DeVol said his campaign is one based on principle. He is listed on the Federal Election Commission's Web site as a Republican, but said he is running as an independent.

"I am determined to do whatever I can to defeat the endless spending promoted for the last eight years by the Republicans and now being exponentially expanded by the Democrats," he said.

A pair of Democrats also are running in that party's primary for the seat: former Tennessee Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Paula Flowers and Chattanooga systems analyst Brent Benedict, who ran for the seat in 2006.

The 11-county 3rd Congressional District includes Hamilton and Bradley counties along the Georgia border and stretches upward through Rhea, part of Roane and into Anderson County (Oak Ridge) and into Claiborne County on the Kentucky border before dropping down to take in Grainger and part of Jefferson counties.

Ms. Smith gained statewide attention as the head of the Tennessee GOP when Republicans took control of the General Assembly last year for the first time since Reconstruction after the Civil War.

Mr. Gobble was an agent with the U.S. Secret Service for 15 years and has been sheriff of Bradley County since 2006.

Mr. Fleischmann has raised more than any other candidate in the race -- about $215,000 as of June 30, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Nearly three-fourths of that is from his own pocket, records show.