Students on both sides of the political spectrum claimed victory for their candidate after hundreds across campus watched vice presidential contenders Al Gore '69 and Jack F. Kemp debate last night.

The only vice presidential debate of the 1996 campaign was characterized by unusual civility and humor, as the candidates went out of their way to emphasize the positive aspects of their visions (please see story, page four).

Student Democrats maintained that incumbent Gore was most effective at presenting an optimistic and articulate vision for the future, while Republicans said the same of Kemp.

"I think Al Gore was the clear winner of the debate because he presented the facts in a way that was easy for the majority of Americans to understand, and highlighted the accomplishments of the Clinton Administration," said Erin L. Brinkman '00, a member of the Harvard-Radcliffe College Democrats.

Predictably, Harvard-Radcliffe Republican Alliance President William D. Zerhouni '98-'97 disagreed.

"I think Jack Kemp did a great job of representing the positives of the Republican ideology and the Republican agenda," Zerhouni said.

The most popular debate-watching spot on campus was the Malcolm Wiener Auditorium at the Kennedy School. A meeting of the College Democrats had preceded the debate in the auditorium, and more than 100 people stayed to watch Gore square off against Kemp.

Few Republicans were present in Wiener Auditorium, and posters for the Clinton-Gore campaign lay scattered across the room.

The audience especially applauded Gore's challenges to Kemp's positions on affirmative action, abortion and the economy.

But the audience also mocked Gore's repeated emphasis on his party's commitment to protecting "Medicare, Medicaid, education and the environment" (in that order), by chanting the lines along with him.

Brinkman said that Gore's humorous repetition of his party's causes was intentional.

"Reciting this list of protected interests was actually a positive aspect of the debate that people will not forget," she said. "As funny as it may seem, it was a great tool for people to follow what he was talking about and for trying to outline a plan for the future."

Student Democrats also accused Kemp of trying to paint Gore and President Clinton as socialists.

"When he nearly called his opponents socialists he reached a new low in this campaign, in terms of ugliness and negativism," said Seth D. Hanlon '98, president of the College Democrats.

Republicans, on the other hand, said that Kemp proved his worth as a strong running mate for GOP nominee Robert J. Dole.

"I...believe he added spark and vigor to the campaign," said Zerhouni. "He did a more than adequate job exposing the scare tactics of the Clinton-Gore campaign and the Clinton administration regarding the issues of Medicare and entitlement."

Jay M. Dickerson '98, president of the Harvard Republican Club, criticized Gore for straying from the issues.

"It seemed Kemp's differences with Dole were pointed out fairly frequently by Vice President Gore, and it certainly seemed to be one of the plans of the Clinton-Gore campaign team to do so rather than to focus solely on the issues at hand," Dickerson said. "But overall, that did not become a problem, and it was a very well-run debate.