This November's presidential election will be a pivotal moment in deciding the country's direction on issues from education to gun control to saving Social Security.

But for most Harvard students, as for the rest of the country, the race just has not captivated them this year.

The upstart campaigns of Sen. John S. McCain and former Sen. Bill Bradley drew passionate support from a small group of politically enthused students. But after those campaigns fizzled on Super Tuesday, students say the race lost that momentum.

"The results from the rest of the country were...sobering," said McCain organizer Mattie Germer '03 after her candidate's defeat. "It was tough to take, but that's the way politics goes. The American public spoke and that's what we'll have to accept."

And Bradley and McCain supporters say the campaign's efforts accomplished a seemingly impossible task--for a brief time, they made politics exciting to many students.

"We felt that we had a candidate we really believed in and that makes a huge difference," said Rachel E. Taylor '03 after Bradley's Super Tuesday defeat.

Still, the most adamant student supporters say they hope their efforts were not in vain.

"I'm really proud of what [Bradley] has been able to achieve...in terms of what this year's election debate is going to be about," said Luke P. McLoughlin '00, president of Harvard Students for Bradley, in March.

McLoughlin credits Bradley with bringing up issues that never would have come to light, such as race relations and poverty.

For supporters of Vice President Al Gore '69 and Gov. George W. Bush, it has been a more fruitful year. The students supporting them say they are hopeful for the fall.

Robert R. Porter '00-'02, who is coordinating the campus effort for Bush, says the effort is worthwhile.

"It's grunt work, but it's fun," Porter says. "Seeing the effectiveness, talking to people about the issues--that's the part I enjoy. Going canvassing can actually make a difference."

Marcie B. Bianco '02, the state coordinator of Students for Gore, is hopeful about the vice president's chances in the race.

"His campaign seems to have hit a stride. He's gotten accustomed to stepping up and being the leader, as opposed to second-in-command. He's got a winning effort," Bianco said after a March rally in Boston.

But Bianco and Porter are the exception among students. Although this could have been the year for a surge in student involvement in politics, the majority has remained largely apathetic about the campaign and their political beliefs.