Ames voters turned out in record numbers at some precincts Monday night, topping off a caucus season in which nearly all of the presidential candidates visited the ISU campus.

At the Republican caucus in precinct 2-2, more than 30 people came out to decide which candidate would best represent their party. Although almost half of the Republicans who turned out at Room 103 of Pearson Hall Monday night favored Texas Gov. George W. Bush, there was considerable support for other candidates as well.

Andy Kampman, senior in architecture, spoke on behalf of Gary Bauer during the time allotted before the voting for caucus members to speak.

“The things that Bauer supports and believes in are something I can believe in, too. He has worked with the group Focus on Family, and that is something both my parents and I have supported,” Kampman said.

One story above in Room 203, Republicans from precinct 3-2, which includes most of the greek houses at Iowa State, packed the room with more than 100 voters.

“They kept coming,” said Garrett Toay, chairman of ISU Students for George W. Bush and precinct chairman. “We ran out of voter registration forms. I was very surprised and very happy at the turnout.”

And to Toay’s delight, most of the 3-2 voters came down on the side of his candidate. More than 50 percent of the attendees were there to support the Texas governor.

Even the presence of Bauer’s daughter Elise did not sway voters in the precinct 3-2. Elise’s father was able to secure only a fourth-place finish in this precinct, behind even Arizona Sen. John McCain, who did not campaign in Iowa.

The strength of Bush’s campaign was also felt in Room 132 of Carver Hall, where the precinct 3-5 caucus was standing room only. In one of the best turnouts in this precinct in recent history, Bush had the support of 33 of the 60 voters.

“Though they’re all fine candidates, George Bush is the most electable,” said Ames attorney David Benson. “Bush energizes the voting base and will carry this momentum into New Hampshire.”

And though Steve Forbes finished second in precinct 3-5 with 20 percent of the vote, at least one of his supporters was not optimistic about the results.

“The results are a little discouraging,” said Randall Hamper, sophomore in physics. “I don’t think he will do any better in New Hampshire.”

Republicans at the precinct 4-3 caucus in the Gilman Hall auditorium cast their votes in a similar fashion to the rest of the city and state, with 38 percent of the 47 voters supporting Bush. But the caucus was an anomaly of sorts, reporting 13 fewer attendees than four years ago while other precincts boasted record turnouts.

Dan Nelsen, precinct chairman and senior in geology, said he was unimpressed with the current front-runners of the party, and he thinks Forbes will still have a chance to get the Republican nomination as long as Bush’s victory was not overwhelming.

“Forbes is extremely straightforward, and his character is what attracted me to him,” Nelsen said.

But clearly the lion’s share of GOP support across the city was for Bush, and one student said he thought the reason for Bush’s popularity is based on his ability to win the general election.

“George Bush is a winnable candidate,” said Brendan Cary, sophomore in mechanical engineering. “[Bush] can stop the Clinton legacy and bring government back to the Reagan/Bush era.”

Across the political aisle, Democrats in Ames seemed to gravitate more toward Bradley than Gore, a trend that was not reflected by the state as a whole.

At the precinct 2-2 caucus, which covered the Richardson Court Association residence halls and was held in the Maple-Willow-Larch Commons, the former New Jersey senator came away with four of the precinct’s six delegates.

But the big story was the wall-busting attendance, mostly made up of ISU students.

“This is crazy. It’s a record-breaking turnout,” said Marcha Readhead, the precinct 2-2 chairwoman. “We have run out of voter registration forms three times and have had to run off more.”

Katie Callan, vice president of Cessna House in Larch Hall, said her floor had 22 residents in attendance.

“That’s over 30 percent of our floor, and I think that’s pretty exceptional,” said Callan, freshman in chemical engineering.

Some ISU students from precinct 2-2 even took their political involvement one step further. Four of the six 2-2 delegates heading to the Story County convention will be students: Amanda Coe, undeclared freshman; Aaron Schmidt, senior in computer engineering; Paul Hattan, sophomore in mechanical engineering; and Brenna Dougan, freshman in marketing.

Bradley also came out on top in the precinct 4-3 caucus, taking five of the precinct’s eight delegates.

The caucus, which was held in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union, saw strong Bradley support among the 91 voters in attendance, which some of the attendees contributed to Bradley’s poor showing in recent polls.

“I’m surprised that Bradley has such support,” said Justin Peters, professor of mathematics. “The fact is, not all voters show up, and I think more voters show up for the underdog. I think Bradley is perceived as the underdog.”

Ames resident Dick Barton said he voted for Bradley for just that reason.

“He’s the underdog, and I like his big ideas,” Barton said.

But even though Gore did not fare so well in the 4-3, his supporters had positive things to say about him.

“I like what he says,” said Ames resident Sharon Looschen. “I like his persona. I like his family. I feel confident in him.”

In precinct 3-5, the story was much the same, with Bradley and Gore receiving three delegates apiece, although Bradley had the support of 36 of the 66 voters.

And once again, organizers were surprised by the turnout in 3-5, which includes the Towers Residence Association.

“It is just awesome that this many people are here,” said Jessica Vandenberg, precinct chairwoman. “It is a great showing for the Democratic Party.”

At the precinct 3-2 Democratic caucus at University Lutheran Church, 2126 Gable Lane, it was Bradley garnering the majority of the support again, taking two delegates to Gore’s one.

One caucus official felt the support for Bradley was an indication that this precinct’s voters felt he was the most electable candidate.

“I feel that the candidates have similar positions on many issues,” said Tony Ficher, temporary precinct secretary. “Many will base their votes on how successful [the candidates] can be in the general election.”