The Harvard-Radcliffe college Democrats jumped on the bandwagon this week and joined several other organizations in endorsing Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton as their party's nominee for president.

"Clinton is likely to be the nominee, and we feel at this point that it is important for the Democratic Party to focus its efforts on one candidate," said David C. Bunker '93, president of the organization.

The group decided to endorse Clinton over former California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. at their biweekly meeting Monday night in Lament Library, Bunker said.

It was unusual for the campus Democrats to endorse a candidate before the party officially selects a nominee, according to Bunker. But a lack of Democratic candidates and a desire to defeat President Bush in November prompted the organization to early action this year, he said.

"Most people prefer Bill Clinton in the absence of other candidates," Bunker said. "I think there's no reservation that we all want George Bush to go, and that's the spirit in which this endorsement was made."

"There were quite a few people who were uncomfortable with the stories about Clinton, but the flat tax and the VAT turned a lot of people off on Brown," he added.

Jay Kim '95, the College Democrats' campaign director, was enthusiastic about Clinton and the organization's "near unanimous" endorsement.

"We think it's time to rally around one candidate," Kim said. "Clinton would make a very good president. His record in Arkansas and his vision of the future reflect the ideas needed to lead America."