Twenty years ago, Roger L. Green was a 30-year-old upstart candidate, battling against a political Goliath for a seat in the State Assembly. In that campaign, Mr. Green waged and won a fight against not only against a 20-year incumbent, but against the might of the Democratic Party's political machine in Brooklyn as well.
After two decades in the Assembly, representing the Fort Greene and Clinton-Washington sections of Brooklyn, Mr. Green now finds himself in very much the same position as the man he defeated in that 1980 campaign, Harvey L. Strelzin. Mr. Green is being challenged by Hakeem S. Jeffries, a 29-year-old lawyer waging his first campaign for public office and brandishing many of the complaints made by Mr. Green in his first campaign.
Of course, defeating an incumbent, particularly one as steeped in the community's political landscape as Mr. Green, is always difficult. But the race in the 57th Assembly District is being watched for a number of reasons.
Mr. Jeffries, a lawyer at the firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, is marshaling a sizable group of young volunteers. And he is campaigning vigorously against an incumbent who has typically had little in the way of competition in this highly Democratic district.
Even if he turns back the challenge, how well Mr. Green does in the September primary will probably affect his prospects for higher office. Mr. Green undertook a brief campaign for public advocate in 1997 and has said he is considering running for Congress one day, when the seat held by Representative Edolphus Towns becomes vacant.
In the meantime, Mr. Jeffries says Mr. Green has become inattentive to the needs of his constituents. Whether it is giving assistance on economic development issues or simply returning a phone call, the assemblyman's performance has become abysmal, Mr. Jeffries asserts.
''The assemblyman has failed to put forth a vision for dealing with the educational needs of the district and developing the business corridor of the community,'' Mr. Jeffries said.
He complains that a large swath of Fulton Street, a major commercial corridor in the district, is filled with abandoned storefronts, and that ''there is no plan coming from the assemblyman to revitalize our community.''
Mr. Green acknowledges that he has had his lapses and that his office has not always been as efficient as he would have liked. But he is emphatic in his defense of his record, characterizing himself as a champion of economic development and issues affecting children.
''When I hear what Hakeem is saying, I actually can identify with some of it,'' he said. ''Obviously, as his opponent, the only thing I would say is that you've got to check the record, because if anyone has done institution-building in this area, it's been me.''
Specifically, Mr. Green takes great pride in the development of the Benjamin Banneker Academy, a charter school that specializes in math, science and technology, which was proposed and designed by his office.
He also points to his years of working with young people, citing his sponsorship of after-school programs in 18 public schools in Brooklyn. And he talks about his role in founding the Latimer-Woods Economic Development Association, which provides training and economic development opportunities in high technology for young people in Central Brooklyn.
''We have built institutions in this district that I will be reminding the voters of during the campaign,'' Mr. Green said. ''We want folks to know what the real deal is.''
In the 1990 census, the district was nearly three quarters black and 12 percent Hispanic. Since then, the district has attracted more higher-income black professionals.
While Mr. Jeffries may speak with vehemence about his view of his opponent's deficiencies, it is clear that Mr. Green sees something of himself in the young challenger, speaking of him almost as though he were Mr. Jeffries's mentor.
''Hakeem is the type of young man that we have struggled to support and, hopefully, to empower,'' Mr. Green said. ''I don't think that we in the party have made a concerted enough effort to get people like Hakeem involved in the political process. When I look at his resume, I think that he could offer a lot.''
Mr. Jeffries acknowledges the difficulty of unseating someone of Mr. Green's tenure. But he suggests that he is in part motivated by Mr. Green's history.
''I know that it's difficult to defeat a 20-year incumbent,'' Mr. Jeffries said. ''He is a professional politician backed by the Democratic machine. But I believe that, as long as I can make the people aware that there is a credible alternate choice, there will be an opportunity to be successful. After all, that's exactly what he did 20 years ago.''