Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., carved himself a niche during his 19 years in Congress, carefully charting a course between his increasingly conservative party and his ever more liberal district.

Shays consistently avoided serious challenge for his seat until 2004 when he eked out a narrow, four-point victory over Westport First Selectwoman Diane Farrell.

Now, in a bitter rematch against Farrell, Shays has found that, "the center is disappearing, and he's always been a part of that center," as Quinnipiac University Professor Scott Mclean told the Stamford Advocate.

Throughout much of his career, Shays' conservative economic outlook along with a more liberal take on social and environmental issues worked well in his district. Though fueled by concerns over the Iraq war and Republican leadership, this year's election could prove more difficult, according to Roll Call.

Raised in Darien, Conn., Shays joined the Peace Corps' Fiji mission with his wife, Betsi, after graduating from Principia College in 1968. Upon their return to Connecticut, Shays worked as a political aide and earned master's degrees in business in 1974 and in public administration in 1978, both from New York University.

In 1974, he was elected to the Connecticut House and served for 12 years as a state representative before successfully running for Connecticut's 4th District in a 1987 special election. He currently serves on the Financial Services and Homeland Security committees and is vice chairman of the Government Reform Committee.

In a May op-ed for The Washington Post, E.J. Dionne argued that while emphasizing fiery social issues would energize Bush's conservative base, doing so would endanger House Republicans like Shays who face strong challenges in the fall. In an interview with Dionne, Shays said that President Bush's appeals to shore up support from his conservative base won't help vulnerable Republicans such as himself.

"Obviously he [President Bush] should be true to himself and his principles, but if he is looking for issues, he should be looking for issues that are helpful to those of us who are targets," Shays told Dionne.

Farrell has taken advantage of GOP pushes for constitutional amendments barring gay marriage and flag desecration by arguing that even if Shays does not himself vote for such measures, his support for the Republican leadership accomplishes much the same.

Not all of Shays' critics come from the left. The Club for Growth, a conservative interest group promoting limited government, ranked Shays sixth on its list of Top 10 Anti-Growth House Republicans.

According to the conservative Human Events Online, "Shays is a classic case of a politician who has caught Potomac Fever. Believe it or not, he used to be a strong fiscal conservative. 'Tis no more."

And Shays was endorsed in this election by traditionally Democratic organizations like Human Rights Campaign -- a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group -- and the environmental group the League of Conservation Voters.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, Shays is "a friend and ally" who has earned the group's endorsement "for his leadership securing HIV and AIDS funding [and] his continued push for employment non-discrimination."

The League of Conservation Voters called him "an environmental leader who time after time is looking out for the interests of his constituents, not those of corporate polluters and other special interests."

Looming large in this election, however, is the Iraq war. As chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, Shays has visited Iraq 14 times.

Upon returning from a trip in late August, Shays became the highest-ranking congressional Republican to call for a timetable to withdraw American troops from Iraq. Shays explained to The New York Times: "The administration wants an open-ended commitment and that sends a wrong message to the Iraqis. I want the Iraqis to know that they do not have an open checkbook. I also want the Iraqis to know that our troops will not be there in the numbers they are now."

Nevertheless, Shays maintains that any immediate withdrawal would be premature. "It would be obscene for us to leave before the Iraqis are able to defend themselves," he told the Times. "We completely dismantled their security forces."

John Orman, a Fairfield University professor of politics, told the Connecticut Post that, "the clear majority in Connecticut believe the war is wrong, so it is a good position for Shays to take to disagree with some of the mismanagement of the war."

But Scott McLean, a Quinnipiac University professor, believes that Shays' switch "is going to be perceived as an election-year conversion. The timing is very convenient."

Shays maintains that political calculations have nothing to do with his newfound support for a timetable. He told the Post, "I let the truth take me where it takes me. If I saw action -- a real strong political will to take on the private militias -- I wouldn't have to set deadlines. But they are not moving, they are treading water and we can't do that while our men and women are dying in Iraq."

-- Compiled by Paul Heintz for the Online NewsHour