South Florida's hottest congressional election in years -- with three Republican incumbents facing well-financed, aggressive Democratic challengers -- has its share of drama so far.

There has been name-calling, fierce disagreement on foreign and domestic issues, and competing political ads blasted over local radio and television airwaves.

What there hadn't been, until Wednesday, was a joint public appearance by all six candidates involved. The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce candidate forum, which kept the moderator hopping as he sought to keep the candidates in line, set the stage for the countdown to Nov. 4 for voters in Districts 18, 21, and 25.

In a year when the Democratic Party is expecting to increase its majorities in both houses of Congress, national political observers will pay close attention to the outcome of these three contests. The results may show what progress Democrats have made with Cuban-American voters -- long a solidly Republican voting bloc. And the races could mean significant changes to U.S.-Cuba policy.

The districts cut a broad swath through South Florida's varied communities, including Pembroke Pines, Hialeah, Miami Beach and the Florida Keys.

In District 21, Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart is being challenged by former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez. In District 25, Diaz-Balart's brother Mario, also an incumbent congressman, faces Joe Garcia, former executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation. In District 18, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen faces Pinecrest businesswoman Annette Taddeo.

All three Democratic challengers have outraised their Republican competitors -- with Taddeo lending her campaign money -- but the GOP'ers have the edge when it comes to cash on hand, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission reports. New figures are expected out next week.

Wednesday's candidate forum was held at the Jungle Island tourist attraction on Watson Island. ''Mojo,'' a mild-mannered Capuchin monkey, greeted entrants at the door.

Once inside, the candidates largely followed Mojo's lead and addressed each other cordially. Occasionally, however, the candidates traded barbs.

Hundreds attended the forum, many of them the movers-and-shakers of Miami's political and business establishment. Although the questions posed to candidates touched on a variety of topics, the economy weighed heavily in the overall discussion.

In his opening comments, Carlos Fernández-Guzmán, a BankUnited executive and chairman of the Miami Chamber, told the crowd ``the reality is the financial markets are seeing turmoil unseen in recent times.''

Then all eyes turned to the candidates. The first question of the day: their stance on the federal government's recently approved financial bailout package.

The candidates were well-prepared for that question -- and all the others. In a move some strongly criticized, the campaigns got the questions in advance.

The forum's original moderator, WPLG-ABC 10 political commentator Michael Putney, dropped out to protest how the questioning had been handled. Putney called it ``a farce.''

Putney's replacement, WTVJ NBC6 senior political reporter Nick Bogert, told the crowd during the candidate introductions that ``it is a forum and not a debate.''

Miami Herald staff writer Lesley Clark contributed to this report.

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