The race for the vacant seat created in the Liberian Senate as a result of the death of Montserrado County Junior Senator, Hanna Brent, is in its second week with candidates consolidating their bases in a bid to win the hearts and minds of the Montserrado County electorates.

Dubbed by many as the forerunner to the 2011 race for the presidency, the campaign is running on a rather smooth footing---- Not much of mudslinging, certainly not on the part of the candidates involved in the race.

But there is a feature, reminiscent of the 2005 General and Presidential Elections, that is replaying in this by-election: Dairus Dillon, the youthful candidate running on the ticket of the party in which many considered as the most relevant opposition political party in contemporary Liberian politics, The Liberty Party, is making significant impact within the youthful population of voters.

Like the Barrack Obama-styled of campaign, hundreds of youth volunteers signed up on a daily basis at the National Headquarters of the Liberty Party on the Old Road, and are combing up every streets and nooks of Montserrado County to ensure that one of their kind is ushered into the Honorable Liberian Senate come November 10, 2009.

Additionally, as the Dillon for the Senate Campaign intensifies, on the other hand, he is being led by an array of supporters from different political persuasions. When asked, a group of non-Liberty Partisans on the campaign trail with Dillon told reporters.

"We don't want to know what political party Dillon belongs to. We believe in him as one with a strong nationalistic character. Many of his utterances on national issues are balanced and we think he will provide good representation for Montserrado County.

"Dillon is the man; he appears to cut across many divide. As Chief of Office Staff in the office of former Speaker, Edwin M. Snowe and now Senator Jewel Howard-Taylor, Dillon attracted great admiration among staffers at the Capitol Building. Firstly, for standing up against the alleged receipt of US5, 000.00 by some Members of the House of Representatives as bribe to oust Mr. Snowe as Speaker.

He was incarcerated by Members of the House of Representatives for his uncompromising stern against corruption, but was later released following persistent condemnations from many pressure groups" they added.

Furthermore, Dillon is said to have played a pivotal role in negotiating increment in the benefits received by Staffers at the Capitol Building. Against this backdrop, he has won an enviable reputation from both his peers and among the general public.

With effective administrative skill at his disposal, Dillon also prized himself for possessing the requisite legislative skills that many new comers will have to reckon with in the first few weeks, and perhaps, months of legislative politics on Capitol Hill.

Besides, he was privileged to have traveled to India on a legislative fellowship program where he did four months of training in legislative drafting and other functions associated with the legislature. Candidate Dillon has also travelled on series of other Legislative trips to South Africa, Dubai, among others. At age forty (40), Dillon sees himself as a bridge between the older and the younger generation of Liberians. His message to the electorates has been very precise, concise and simple:

"Let us work together to transform our vision into reality. With strong courage and determination along with unbending principles, we can do all in the interest of our country and its people. Without doubt, I am strongly convicted that this country needs courage and unbending principles above all, and then in the first Branch of our government, to bring about genuine transformation in our body politics" he stressed.

These are the attributes that attract Dillon to the electorates. Moreover, his passion for social justice, economic opportunities and political participation remain very strong. He has however remain bashful in presenting a fantastic platform, believing that the problems of our country are not rooted in the absence of policies, carved in political manifestos, but the will power to implement those policies.

Dillon is of the ardent belief that social programs to benefit women, youths and the aged group, are enshrined in various policy instruments available on the books, but are wanting due to the lack of spines on the part of individuals in the various functionaries of government to push for their implementation.

"I look forward to working with a strong civil society that will bring pressure to bear on government functionaries", including the Legislature, to implement those policies that will bring social, political and economic transformation", Dillon declared, as he addressed hundreds of supporters and onlookers during a campaign trail in District , amidst rounds of applause.

As the election bell ticks slowly but surely toward November 10, 2009, it remains to be seen who makes a final entrance on the Senate Wing of the Capitol Building. But one thing seems certain: Dillon, the youthful candidate, is leaving no stone unturned in galvanizing the support of a cross session of voters from all angles, something which t is uncommon in Liberian legislative election.