Britain's UK Independence Party expected to win crucial vote before general election ROCHESTER, England - It would be hard to find a place more quintessentially British than Rochester, a handsome river town framed by a spectacularly ancient castle and cathedral. Charles Dickens called the area home and often depicted Rochester's picturesque main shopping street in his novels. It's not just the look of the place, either. Economically, demographically and politically, Rochester closely mirrors the rest of Britain. And yet, on Thursday, voters here are poised to do something that would have seemed radical just months ago: elect a member of the U.K. Independence Party to represent them in Parliament. The expected win would be the second for the anti-Europe, anti-immigration party in two months. But unlike the first victory, in the economically depressed seaside town of Clacton, a triumph in Rochester will probably be seen here as proof that UKIP can win middle Britain. What makes Rochester significant is precisely the fact that it's not unusual. It's a very typical seat," said Rob Ford, a University of Manchester political analyst who co-wrote a book documenting the party's rise. I didn't see this coming, to be honest. It's a remarkable shift in UKIP's ability to win right across the political spectrum. UKIP's evolution from insurgent fringe to mainstream phenomenon has struck terror in the hearts of the two parties, Labor and Conservative, that have dominated Britain's political life for the past century. Less than six months before the next general election, both major parties are struggling to set the terms of debate. UKIP is filling the void with its promises to ditch the European Union and vastly reduce a flow of immigrants that in recent years has brought millions of new residents to Britain. UKIP's rise could help deny Prime Minister David Cameron another term in office by peeling away seats that otherwise would have gone to the Tories. Cameron had originally vowed to "throw the kitchen sink" at the UKIP candidate here in order to ensure a Conservative victory. But he has been a diminishing presence as polls have shown the Tory candidate fading. Labor, too, has something to fear from UKIP.Many of Labor's traditional working-class voters are lining up behind UKIP's message at a time of stagnant wages and diminished opportunities for those without university degrees. "All our industry is gone, and it's making way for homes for people coming from outside the country," said Eugene Austin, a 64-year-old who spent decades working in auto factories until he was laid off four years ago. It's terrible. Austin said he used to be an enthusiastic Labor voter. But this week, he drove for over two hours from his home in the British Midlands to Rochester in order to proudly wear the purple and gold of UKIP on his lapel. Prior to the campaign, UKIP had rated Rochester its 271st-most-winnable seat out of 650 in the House of Commons. Unlike other areas where UKIP thrives, the population of Rochester is reasonably well educated and has not suffered unusually high unemployment. Although the historic dockyards closed decades ago, some manufacturing work remains, as do retail jobs on the Dickensian-themed high street, where Tiny Tim's Tea Rooms, the Copperfield's antique shop and A Taste of Two Cities cater to weekend tourists from London, which is half an hour away by high-speed train. Nor does Rochester have a particularly large number of immigrants. But that doesn't stop people here from fearing the wave of foreigners that is a mainstay of the tabloid news media's reporting. People think we're being bombarded by immigrants, and they're getting our jobs and benefits. Most of it is nonsense," said Godfrey George, who runs a sprawling Rochester bookshop. But UKIP has hijacked the immigration issue from the two main parties. George said he normally votes Labor but will support the Conservative candidate this time around because he thinks she has a better chance of winning. He said he can understand why voters have trouble distinguishing between the two. Labor has tried to move to the right and the Conservatives have gone to the left. They're fighting over the same ground," George said. So people have become confused about who really represents the working man. UKIP's candidate here, a bald and bespectacled Oxford-trained economist who has an MBA from Columbia, is no one's idea of a working man's hero. But Mark Reckless shocked the British political world in September with his defection to UKIP after four years as a Tory parliamentarian, a move that won him affection from constituents eager to give a kick in the teeth to the political establishment. A vote for UKIP, Reckless said in an interview at the party's frenetic campaign headquarters, would "shake up the cozy cartel of British politics." It could also spur more defections. "The fact that someone could defect to UKIP and win in Rochester would suggest to hundreds of other [members of parliament] in bog-standard seats that they could defect and win as well," said Ford, the political analyst. The alternative for many, he said, will be to try to fend off a vigorous UKIP challenge in May. The party is already lining up candidates in areas that were once thought to be off-limits. Graham Moore, an imposing 50-year-old construction worker with no political background, said he plans to challenge the incumbent Labor member in his multiethnic neighborhood of London. "It's been Labor for a long time," he said. But he senses that voters are fed up with mass immigration and ready to vote for a candidate who will put a stop to it. I was in a canteen with 40 other workers. The only person who spoke English was myself," said Moore, who was in Rochester to campaign for Reckless. That upsets me. The Labor Party candidate here, Naushabah Khan, is the daughter of immigrants, and she proudly defends immigrants" contributions to the country's economy. But she also acknowledges the anger of her would-be constituents - and the appeal of easy solutions to complex issues. They use this idea that leaving the EU will be a magic wand they can wave to solve all the country's problems. And that resonates with some people," said Khan, who is running a distant third in the polls. It means we've got more work to do. Karla Adam in London contributed to this report.