Almost 1,600 clamored for Sen. John F. Kerry. Nearly 1,300 vied for Sen. John D. Edwards. But for U.N. Ambassador Carol E. Moseley Braun, who will take her turn at the JFK Jr. Forum Monday, a mere 546 threw their names in the hat.

Out of the five lotteries held so for tickets to “Hardball: Battle for the White House,” a Harvard-based series of presidential candidate interviews aired this fall on MSNBC, Moseley Braun has attracted the lowest number of participants.

Though Moseley Braun’s 546 exceeds the 450 seats available through the lottery, students and representatives of the Institute of Politics (IOP) say there is less interest in Moseley Braun’s visit because of her lower-profile status and her unimpressive polling numbers.

“The fact of the matter is Carol Moseley Braun is not viewed in the political circle as likely to be the nominee for president,” said IOP Director Daniel R. Glickman, who served as secretary of agriculture from 1995 to 2001.

“It’s not a hidden fact that Carol Moseley Braun is not as big a draw of a name, she is not as well known of a candidate,” said Harvard College Democrats President R. Gerard McGeary Jr. ’04.

McGeary noted that Kerry is a poll-leader and a local favorite and that the Rev. Al Sharpton—who garnered 1,038 lottery hopefuls—is a “great orator.”

Some students also said they are most interested in hearing from the candidates that are more likely to be their next commander-in-chief.

“It will be really good to hear [leading candidates’] views and see how they respond to the questions because they are going to be in the national spotlight more than someone like Moseley Braun,” said Morgan S. Brown ’06, who has lotteried for every single event so far.

Still others said the low turnout for Moseley Braun might reflect that students are beginning to suffer from “Hardball” fatigue.

Sloan J. Eddleston ’04, who co-chairs a committee charged with bringing speakers to Kirkland House, pointed out that Moseley Braun is the 5th candidate to visit Harvard this semester, detracting from the novelty.

But leader of “Students for Moseley Braun” Ryan P. McAuliffe ’03 said yesterday he believes the lower interest level is the result of an even bigger problem.

“People are not respecting Moseley Braun’s presidential candidacy and giving it the time and the respect that it certainly deserves,” he said.

McAuliffe said he is concerned about Moseley Braun’s profile here on campus.

“There isn’t as much hype...and that’s what students are trying to change,” he said. “It is a matter of making people wake up and see her campaign as a legitimate campaign for presidency.”

McAuliffe also said he thinks gender may be affecting Moseley Braun’s popularity.