David Caprio has campaigned as a strong supporter of environmental policies.

They’re both Democrats, they both come from well-known families and they both list addresses at homes owned by mom and dad.

They also have similar personal goals. One is a lawyer, and one wants to be. One is the representative for House District 34 in the General Assembly, and one wants to be.

Therein lies the inevitable crossroads for David A. Caprio and Ryan P. Drugan, who will face off Sept. 9 in what looks to be a winner-takes-all primary for the District 34 seat.

In some ways, this is a classic familiar face/underdog matchup, one that pits the experienced and well-financed Caprio against the eager newcomer Drugan.

Their ages alone set them apart. Caprio is 41; Drugan is 21.

So do their campaign finance reports. Caprio had raised more than $20,000 as of Aug. 11 and he estimated yesterday that he had spent about $15,000 on television, newspaper and Internet ads. Drugan had raised about $950 as of Aug. 11 and he said his biggest expense was about $200 for yard signs.

Caprio claims endorsements from groups that include the Sierra Club, the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and the University of Rhode Island Chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

Drugan had no endorsements to report as of yesterday.

But as their party affiliation and goals suggest, these candidates also share common ground as they talk about what they want to do, if elected.

Both list fixing the state’s finances and protecting the environment among their top priorities, and they both express a desire to be an advocate for the people in the district, which covers most of Narragansett and a small section of South Kingstown.

Caprio, seeking his fifth term, says the top three issues are:

• Improving the state’s fiscal health by limiting spending while providing essential services.

• Promoting green energy to protect the environment and lower dependence on foreign oil.

• Providing a voice at the state level for the people in the district.

When asked in a Journal questionnaire why people should vote for him, he wrote that he grew up in South County, has fought for change at the State House and wants to continue leading on important issues — finances and energy, as well as education, ethics and government reform and crime prevention.

He lists a number of accomplishments from his nine years in the State House. These include leading an effort to reform the state’s commercial fishing licensing process to protect the local fishing fleet, helping to hold the line on state spending, and sponsoring or supporting numerous bills to protect the environment.

One example he cites is his vote this year for a renewable energy bill that would have fostered investment in renewable energy developers had it not been vetoed by the governor. And last year he cosponsored a bill that would have eliminated tax credit caps on renewable residential energy systems.

In recent years he also voted for the bill that reduced the legal blood alcohol level to 0.08 percent and cosponsored the bill that defined video voyeurism and imposed fines and penalties on people found guilty of it.

Caprio is not known for being the lead sponsor on large numbers of bills — in this year’s session he had 10, according to the General Assembly Web site — but he says his accomplishments cannot be measured by bills alone. He recalled a floor move several years back in which he and other lawmakers challenged the state budget and came away with at least some of the changes they wanted.

“To be the lead sponsor of a bill, that’s good,” he said. “But there’s a lot of things accomplished in the State House without having your name on the bill.”

A member of the House judiciary, labor and corporations committees, Caprio says he has a good relationship with House Speaker William J. Murphy. But his early years in the General Assembly saw him playing the role of challenger to then-Speaker John B. Harwood, who opposed the separation-of-powers legislation that eventually passed.

First elected to the General Assembly in 1999, Caprio has a name that is well known in Rhode Island political circles. He is the son of Providence Municipal Court Chief Judge Frank Caprio, host of the reality TV show Caught in Providence, seen on ABC6, and he is the younger brother of state General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio.

He grew up in Narragansett, attending the town’s elementary and middle schools before going to Bishop Hendricken High School, in Warwick. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Boston College and a master’s degree in business administration in a one-year program at the University of Southern Europe.

Then he returned to Narragansett and worked for a year as a fish peddler in Galilee.

“It was a great learning experience, learning how to deal with people,” he said.

“It taught me a lot of the skills that I actually use in politics.”

Following in the footsteps of his father, he later went to law school, earning a juris doctorate degree from Suffolk University Law School in 1994.

He now works in Providence at the Caprio Law Firm with his father and other relatives.

DRUGAN’S NAME is less familiar, but he is the grandson of a well-known South County figure — Charles Ted Wright, the former state representative and Narragansett Town Council member.

For those who don’t know this first-time candidate, he grew up in Narragansett and South Kingstown, graduating from Narragansett High School in 2005, and he is now a senior at the University of Rhode Island, where he is majoring in political science.

Drugan says he is running because he believes no candidate should run unopposed — Caprio was unopposed in 2000, 2004 and 2006 — and because he believes in Democratic Party ideals of community service and listening to new ideas that are lacking on the state and national levels. He describes himself as a liberal Democrat in the mold of President John F. Kennedy, one who embraces being liberal if it means looking ahead rather than behind, one who is open to change and concerned about helping others.

“A liberal is someone who cares about community welfare, homes, education, livelihood,” he said. “That is what I consider to be a return to Democratic ideals.”

One way he hopes to bring those ideals back is by suggesting new ideas and encouraging debate on key issues.

The issues he sees as most important fall under three umbrellas: the environment, education and the state budget.

On the environment, he is all for reducing greenhouse gases and carbon emissions, improving public transportation, improving upkeep of state and local parks, protecting public water supplies, encouraging community cleanups and encouraging debate about alternative energies.

On education, he opposes any cuts in state spending, either for local schools or for higher education.

On the state budget, he is for reducing taxes on businesses to encourage business growth. Helping businesses would help the state’s economy and, in the long run, provide more tax money to help offset the state budget problems, he said.

Asked how the state can do all three — spend money on the environment, support education and reduce taxes on businesses — at the same time, he replied that there are no easy answers.

“Part of my philosophy is you should always propose a thought because there’s always someone out there who might pick it up,” he said. “You never know, it might end up with something being done.”

“You have to take the first step to get to the next one,” he added. “Nothing can ever really be accomplished overnight.”

Drugan says he was drawn to politics and public debate while growing up but points to his first day of high school as a seminal moment. Classes started late that year because of a teachers strike, so his first day was Sept. 11, 2001.

“My high school years definitely electrified it,” he said of his interest. “There was a lot going on.”

Drugan says that if he wins on Sept. 9 and then wins in the general election, for which there is no registered opponent, he will complete his undergraduate program and then continue at URI, working toward a master’s in business administration. That way, he will continue to live in the district he represents, he said.

If he loses, he will look to go to law school, possibly at Roger Williams University, he said.

In addition to attending URI, Drugan also works part time. This summer he is working at the Village Inn Resort Conference Center and the Atlantic House, both in Narragansett. His duties run the gamut from grounds keeping to maintenance to valet parking, he said.

Both candidates have Web sites. Caprio’s is www.davidcaprio.com. Drugan’s is www.RyanPDrugan.com.

redgar@projo.com