NORTH ANDOVER — Stephen Pagliuca apologized for not voting in recent presidential elections while Martha Coakley said she understands the balance between preserving public safety and respecting civil rights. Yet, Michael Capuano believes home ownership is the best way to step into the middle class and Alan Khazei said his experience thwarted a national movement.

Late yesterday afternoon, as an unusual October snowstorm ramped up outside, Democratic candidates vying for the U.S. Senate seat held by the late Edward Kennedy appeared at Merrimack College in their first organized forum.

Kennedy died of a malignant brain tumor in late August. He held the seat since 1962.

Beyond the Democratic party affiliation, similiarities between the four candidates quickly surfaced during the three-hour event that packed 403 people into the Rogers Center for the Performing Arts. Many held signs for their particular candidate, all of whom received rounds of applause and cheers after their appearances on stage.

All four candidates say they are committed to creating jobs, reversing unemployment rates, reforming health care, and energizing the failing economy.

Several said they were opposed to the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law referred to as DOMA that does not recognize same-sex marriages, and none showed interest in increasing U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

The forum, sponsored by the North Andover Democratic Committee and supported by committees on Cape Ann and North of Boston, was moderated by Mark DiSalvo, a North Andover resident who sits on the Democratic State Committee, and Renee Loth of the Boston Globe.

The audience submitted queries on the issues and Eagle-Tribune and Lowell Sun reporters also asked questions.

"This is the very first opportunity for the public to have an extended listening of the Democratic U.S. Senate candidates," DiSalvo said. "We pulled it off."

Party primaries are Dec. 8. The special election is Jan. 19.

Here are capsules of what each candidate had to say yesterday in the order they appeared:

Stephen Pagliuca

A venture capitalist and co-owner of the Boston Celtics, Pagliuca pointed to his 25 years of "on the ground" experience starting and building companies. Under questioning from Loth, Pagliuca apologized for not voting in some state and presidential elections over the years.

"There's really no excuse. I should have voted ... I'll tell you it won't happen again," he said.

Pagliuca, the son of a veteran and a schoolteacher, said he has "progressive Democratic values."

If elected, Pagliuca said he would work to create jobs, corral spiraling health care costs, reduce the country's dependency on foreign oil and find alternative energy sources.

He talked about the 320,000 Massachusetts residents who are unemployed and said, "We need to put these people back to work, restore confidence and hope ... I believe I can do that."

His parents, he said, taught him about hard work and compassion and as a father of four himself, "I have been successful beyond my greatest dreams."

"I want everyone else to have that opportunity," Pagliuca said.

Martha Coakley

Coakley, a former Middlesex County district attorney and the state's current attorney general, talked about her childhood in western Massachusetts. As one of five children, Coakley said she was taught to pitch in, work together, get a good education and give something back.

For 25 years, Coakley said she has worked to keep children and adults safe.

After Sept. 11, 2001, when the United States was attacked by terrorists, Coakley worked closely with local, state and federal agencies. She believes she understands what's needed to keep the country safe.

As attorney general, Coakley has taken on big companies and filed a challenge to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act.

DiSalvo pointed to the case of Haverhill businessman Timothy Coco, who has been separated from his husband, Genesio Oliveira Jr., for more than two years. Coakley described the law as "grossly unfair" and said she would vote to appeal it.

Also, Coakley said she wants to address inequalities that still exist for women in both government and business. For starters, both need to become more "family friendly," she said.

"Everyone will benefit from that," Coakley added.

In closing, she said, "I believe I tackle problems and get good results."

Michael Capuano

Capuano, previously the mayor of Somerville, has represented the 8th District - Boston, Cambridge and Somerville - in Congress since 1999. He is now one of 435 but if elected to Kennedy's former seat, the body shrinks to 100. "That's really what it is," Capuano said. "The same job with the ability to grow faster."

He said he's focused on home ownership, including multifamily housing, which be believes is "the best way into the middle class."

"Every opportunity I have to help with that I will," Capuano said.

The banking collapse the country has struggled to deal with was fueled by "severe and utter lack of regulations by the Bush administration" and "people on Wall Street who came up with new instruments to spin these loans," Capuano said.

He spoke of his previous vote against the Patriot Act and his fierce defense of civil liberties.

"I want guilty people to go to jail and innocent people to go free," Capuano said. Later, he noted he receives poor marks from the National Rifle Association "but 100s when it comes to the Human Rights Commission."

Also, Capuano said he accepts campaign contributions from political action committees, largely money for labor unions. He described himself as a working-class guy, an average American who doesn't have access to many multimillionaires.

"Do I hate raising money? Yes, I do. I'm not good at it and I am never good at it," he said.

Alan Khazei

What sets Khazei apart from the others is his ability to make change, he said, pointing to City Year, a national, young-adult service program he co-founded with a college roommate.

Khazei said no other candidate built and organized a national movement "from scratch."

With the election of President Barack Obama, the country voted for change. But people are not getting the "change we voted for and the problem is in Congress," he said.

He worked with Kennedy for 20 years, describing him as "the greatest senator of all time. None of us can fill his shoes. We all stand on his shoulders. We all have to work together."

Both job creation and health care reform are top priorities, he said, noting there needs to be "a whole new focus on preventative medicine."

When asked about Coco's situation and DOMA, Khazei described the situation as "unacceptable."

"I will go to the wall for that family," he said.

He told the crowd he's running for U.S. Senate "because people are hurting." A crisis, however, can be an opportunity. He quoted Abraham Lincoln, saying, "Think anew, act anew ... and then we shall save our country."