After two years of leadership of the Undergraduate Council by Beth A. Stewart '00 and Noah Z. Seton '00, the candidate that they endorsed for president this year--Sterling P.A. Darling '01--seemed like a sure thing.

Darling, who is Republican and describes himself as a conservative like Stewart and Seton, not only had wide support on the council going into the race , but he had gained considerable experience running Seton's campaign the year before.

But at the end of voting, Fentrice D. Driskell '01 and her running mate John A. Burton '01, both self-avowed liberals, handily beat the other candidates.

And according to some observers of the council, the candidates' personal political beliefs may have meant the difference in this race--one which had few polarizing issues in the forefront.

Darling credits increased initiative on the part of liberal groups as giving Driskell and Burton a leg up in the election.

"It seemed that this year there was a greater degree of involvement by the people involved in [liberal] groups, as opposed to last year," he says.

He says Driskell was able to offer something his campaign could not--a commitment both to improving student services and a willingness to address political issues through the council.

"Trying to do both things--have a very student oriented platform while still trying to appeal to a liberal group on campus--is a very appealing platform," he says.