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In their first bids for elected office, Kevin Strouse and Shaughnessy Naughton are shooting high: Each wants to be the Democrat to run against Republican incumbent Mike Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania's Eighth Congressional District.

But Strouse, 34, a former Army Ranger and CIA analyst, and Naughton, 35, a cancer researcher turned businesswoman, have been hesitant to trade juicy political haymakers. And their platforms are largely similar.

So their primary race hasn't grabbed headlines like the bombastic battle for U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz's seat in Montgomery County, or two highly competitive contests in South Jersey.

Still, national and local Democrats have long desired the seat, which covers Bucks County and a sliver of Montgomery County, where Democrats slightly outnumber Republicans.

The question now is whether any recent developments - such as a television ad from Strouse, or a strong fund-raising quarter for Naughton - will lead to sustained attention for them and help their quest to unseat Fitzpatrick.

"This is clearly among the most coveted seats for Democrats," said Chris Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown.

Borick called the district "one of the only remaining truly competitive districts in the state," although several national forecasting organizations consider Fitzpatrick the favorite in this year's race.

Fitzpatrick won the 2012 election by 12 points, even with President Obama at the top of the Democratic ticket. And he had $1.5 million in cash on hand at the beginning of last quarter, nearly triple that of his closest potential opponent.

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Democrats take high road in Pa. Eighth Congressional District primary