Multiple-choice test for voters

Not this year.

With the Democrats who have long occupied the seats stepping aside, nine candidates have surfaced in a frenzy for the suddenly available legislative jobs. The situation has left Groton, Dunstable, and Pepperell awash in candidates, with the towns in both the House and Senate districts. The House’s First Middlesex also covers Ayer and Townsend, while the Senate’s district adds Lowell, Tyngsborough, and Westford.

State Senator Steven Panagiotakos, a Lowell Democrat and chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, has been in the First Middlesex seat for nearly 14 years. State Representative Robert Hargraves of Groton has been in the House for roughly 16. Both announced earlier this year that they would not be running again this fall.

Two Democrats are facing off in the Sept. 14 primary for the Senate seat. The winner will compete against a Republican and an independent in November. Three Democrats and two Republicans are running in primary races for the House seat.

“When you have an incumbent, they set the standard,’’ said Jane Morriss, a former Hargraves aide who is running for his House seat as a Democrat. “And all of a sudden, when they step out of the arena, it forces people to take stock and reassess where they are and how they want to do things.’’

Eileen Donoghue, a former Lowell mayor running for the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat, said the race is “certainly more active’’ than past years. “Particularly for summertime, people are interested and engaged,’’ she said.

“It’s a very active and energetic season,’’ said Chris Doherty, a former Middlesex County prosecutor and Donoghue’s opponent in their party’s Sept. 14 primary.

The winner of the Democratic race for Senate will face off in November against Republican James Buba, a former mail carrier, and independent Patrick A. O’Connor, a semiretired contractor, both from Lowell.

Buba and O’Connor are largely out of the spotlight now, since they don’t have to wage a primary campaign. O’Connor says he plans to do no fund-raising at all.

The races for both seats are crowded, but everyone seems to be talking about the same things — jobs and the economy.

In the House race, Republicans Sheila Harrington and Cornelius “Connie’’ Sullivan have both called for cutting taxes and government spending.

“What I’m hearing is a lot of anger from the voters,’’ said Sullivan, a lawyer and former Ayer selectman. “They certainly don’t want to continue the tax and spend policies.’’

“The way to fix a situation isn’t always to tax us more, but to really look at ‘Can we streamline our government?’ ,’’ said Harrington, also a lawyer.

Democrats in the race have their own proposals to jump-start the economy and get people working.

Morriss, the former Hargraves aide, says she wants to promote agriculture and the film industry in the district. Jesse Reich, an entrepreneur and chemistry professor, says he wants to bring more green jobs. Anthony Saboliauskas, a Vietnam War veteran and treasurer of the Pepperell VFW, says he wants to be a “lobbyist for the middle class’’ and make sure regular people get the same sorts of tax breaks that he says the state routinely provides to businesses.

“I hear about all sorts of constituencies, business needs, transportation needs, but not the middle class,’’ said Saboliauskas. “I’m looking to represent the people who know how much a bag of groceries costs and are upset by it, working people.’’

“I’ve talked to a lot of engineers living in the district who are working at Home Depot,’’ said Reich. “The state representative can only do so much for the overall economy, but we can certainly promote job creation in our district.’’

In the Senate race, Doherty says he wants to create a workforce that specializes in science and math by offering student loan repayments to people who choose those careers. Donoghue says she wants to help small businesses by making it easier for them to buy health insurance at lower costs, and by streamlining regulations and cutting fees.

Buba said he would ask state agencies to prioritize their budgets and outline the first things they would cut if their funds were reduced. O’Connor said municipal pensions should be eliminated, with public employees instead paying into private retirement plans.

Candidates in both races are attempting to cast themselves as experienced and qualified for the seats while simultaneously embracing the label of outsider.

“Anybody who’s running from the outside has an advantage, whether you’re a Republican or Democrat,’’ said Panagiotakos, who has not endorsed a candidate to replace him.

Hargraves has endorsed Harrington as his replacement. He said anti-incumbent sentiment could mean a pickup of six or seven House seats by Republicans. “I see potential for gain,’’ he said.

Buba, the Republican running for the Senate’s First Middlesex seat, said he thinks being a Republican is an advantage this time around.

“You’d have to say the sails are full going forward,’’ Buba said. “I believe the voter anger level is higher.’’

Beacon Hill will be getting plenty of new blood next year, regardless of which party fares better. According to the secretary of state’s office, eight Senate seats and 25 House seats on the ballot have no incumbent seeking reelection.

Panagiotakos said he is stepping down to pursue other challenges, but allowed that some legislators might be motivated to leave because of the tough times the state faces.

“It becomes much more stressful,’’ he said. “There are no good decisions. There are only bad and worse.’’

Calvin Hennick can be reached at calvinhennick@yahoo.com.