“I believe in the core principles of small government and personal responsibility,” she said.

Harold said she was not bothered when, as during the other early evening speeches, delegates continued to talk and move about during her address.

“When you are preparing to give the speech, they have rehearsals and the speech coaches tell you that the only people delegates pay attention to are evening speeches,” she said. “You’re not to take it personally.”

Instead, she said that she had been told during two 30-minute practice sessions to target her speech at the television audience.

But at least some of the orange-clad delegates from her native Illinois did pay attention.

“She’s very bright. I think she’ll be in politics one of these days,” said Tom G. Adams, the Mayor of Green Oaks. “She represents a new Republican movement. She speaks for our party very well. [She should] come back to Illinois and run for Congress.”

State Representative Robert W. Churchill said that he had not been present for Harold’s speech but had heard her as the emcee of a Prayer Breakfast, which White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and former Congressman J.C. Watts also attended.

“She was sharp. She would take the essence of the speech and bring it out and move on,” Churchill said. “I was awestruck.”

Harold said that she isn’t sure what she’ll do after law school but that a political career isn’t out of the question.

“I’m interested in ways the legal system can be used to affect public policy,” she said.

Harold added that she won’t continue to campaign for Bush in the fall. “I will be focusing on first year classes.”

—Staff writer Joseph M. Tartakoff can be reached at tartakof@fas.harvard.edu.