Harvard divinity student, former teaching fellow and Democratic congressional candidate John J. Cranley yesterday told about 100 undergraduates--and a camera crew from MTV--that his youth can be a strength in his upcoming race.

Cranley, a 26-year-old 1999 graduate from Harvard Law School (HLS) is running for the House of Representatives from Ohio's first district, which includes Cincinnati.

Yesterday, he was a guest speaker in Governement 1352: "Campaigns and Elections," where he lectured about the life of an active and campaigning politician.

Cranley is the second youngest person running for U.S. Congress this year, where the minimum age requirement for office is 25.

Cranley was accompanied by a small crew from the MTV news show "True Life," which is following his campaign as part of a documentary on young politicians.

The documentary, which features several members of Generation X who are running for political office, will cover Cranley's candidacy until the election and will air sometime in the late fall or early winter.

Cranley said he had been attempting to contact MTV about covering his campaign when he learned that the show's producers had independently chosen to feature his campaign.

"That MTV documentary is definitely going to have an impact, as it is going to help us get grassroots support from young people," Cranley said yesterday. "In the end it may not matter that much, but it does make a difference."

Cranley was brought to the attention of Instructor Andrea L. Campbell by course TF Samuel G. Goodstein, who has known Cranley for years as a fellow student at HLS.

"What could be better for students interested in campaigns and elections than seeing what is essentially one of their peers running for office?" Goodstein said.

Goodstein is also a strong supporter of Cranley's bid for office and has been working unofficially for the campaign.

"There are those who want power because they think its cool, and there are those who want it because they have a powerful sense of right and wrong. John Cranley is one of those people," Goodstein said as he introduced Cranley to the class.

During the hour-long address and discussion, Cranley announced the creation of the "Cranley Corp," designed to give internships to college students interested in helping his campaign.

He encouraged class members to take the internship, which provide housing, but little or no additional stipend.

"It's going to be a lot of fun; there are a lot of young people working on this campaign. This isn't a simple city council race, it's a huge race in a district which everyone recognizes is winnable," Cranley said.

Ohio's first congressional district is currently occupied by Republican Steve Chabot, who won the seat in 1994.

The district includes portions of relatively liberal urban Cincinnati, as well as large portions of the city's more conservative western suburbs.

Cranley argued that Chabot is too conservative for the district.

"My opponent has a 100 percent approval rating from the NRA, a 100 percent approval rating from the Gun Owners of America and a 100 percent approval rating from the Christian Coalition," Cranley said.

"He simply doesn't represent the district; it has a minority population of over 33 percent, which is the highest of any in the country which is not represented by a Democrat," Cranley added.

Chabot, however, has been able to defend his seat successfully three times, including a win in a very close race against former Cincinnati mayor and current Institute of Politics fellow Roxanne Qualls.

In the last election, Qualls was defeated by a margin of only 9,000 votes, despite spending over $2 million on the race, which was then considered by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to be one of the top four "target races" in the country.

According to Cranley and others, the DNC thought Qualls was the best shot they had to take the seat.

Cranley said few were willing to take on Chabot after his defeat of the popular mayor, clearing the field for a political newcomer such as himself to secure the Democratic nomination.

But Cranley said he thinks he can succeed where the popular mayor failed.

Cranley devoted much of his speech to explaining his fundraising techniques.

In the past four months, Cranley has been able to garner key endorsements and been able to raise a good deal of funds on his own, without support from the DNC

"For me to get onto the list of 'target races', it was necessary to raise an unaided $100,000 by April 1st; we were able to raise over $150,000. Once we cross that threshold the money will start coming in from political action committees and the DNC," Cranley said.

But Cranley acknowledged that the effort needed to establish his campaign financially means he spends much of his time hitting up big donors.

"I have to spend most of day raising funds, and I can't afford to spend time with people who can only give me $50. I can only spend time with people who can give me $1,000," he said.

The Democrats are looking to regain control of the House of Representatives, which they lost in 1994. They need to capture six seats from the GOP to do so.

"The DNC is bursting with money this year, and they're looking for contenders. I can win this race," Cranley declared optimistically.

Although his campaign has gained a great deal of momentum since its inception, Cranley admits he is fighting an uphill battle.

His competitor is very well financed, and Cranley's name is not yet well known in the community. Also, questions of his age also play heavily into the race.

"Of course my youth and inexperience is going to be an issue in the campaign, but I can point to my constituents and show them what the experience of Steve Chabot has given them," Cranley said.

Despite all the road blocks in his path, Cranley supporters remain upbeat and confident.

"When I first met John Cranley, I thought to myself 'My God, this man is going to be in Congress by the time he's 25. I was wrong, he'll actually be 26," Goodstein said.