Bush-Quayle Deputy Press Secretary Anthony F. Mitchell says he always considered Harvard "a hotbed of liberalism."

The hard facts suggest that Mitchell may be right. A look at the 42 Government Department professors' political affiliations shows a marked trend toward the left. At least 13 government professors are registered Democrats in Massachusetts; as few as two are registered Republicans.

Professor of Government Gary King says that Harvard is not alone. Democrats probably outnumber Republicans in every political science department in the country, he says

But does it matter that Harvard's government department--where 18-year-old declared presidential candidates go to learn about politics--is run in large part by liberals?

Probably not, Mitchell says. He likens Harvard's government department--and colleges in general--to one of Vice President Dan Quayle's favorite targets, the media elite.

Harvard-issue cultural elites are fine as individuals, Mitchell says. "The problem comes in when they use their positions to advocate their political views."

As long as that doesn't happen, he says, political leanings don't count for much.

Thomson Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield Jr.--an outspoken member of the Republican minority--disagrees.

"I think it's of some concern," Mansfield says. When the political balance is skewed, he says, impressionable students may be unfairly swayed.

Mansfield says he remembers days when the department was different, when it had "Henry Kissinger on one side and Stanley Hoffmann on another."

Mansfield says the department would be better off if both sides were as equally represented today.

"We don't have that now. I think we're losers by it," he says. "Conservatives are much less of a minority among students than among the faculty. Most professors are liberals. Choosing professors, they tend to go for other liberals."

But Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles disagrees. Knowles says political leanings are "certainly not a factor" in Harvard's tenure system.

Reischauer Professor of Japanese Politics Susan J. Pharr, the chair of the Government Department says politics are never a consideration in government tenure decisions.

"Oh, never," Pharr says. "Never under any circumstances. People's political views are totally their own matters."