State Sen. Alice Palmer (13th) on Tuesday became the first Democrat to enter the race for the congressional seat of troubled U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds, promising change in the 2nd District and a positive, "hands-on" style to help revitalize the economically depressed area.

Palmer, 56, an educator who has been in the General Assembly since 1991, skirted criticism of Reynolds for his record in Congress or his personal problems, which include an impending trial on charges of criminal sexual assault and obstruction of justice.