"I don't think that a progressive-only candidate will play to the student body," Plants says.

Picking a Partner

When Seton, a conservative, ran a successful ticket with staunch progressive Redmond last year, it became clear to many candidates that they would have to wed progressive inclinations with a student services platform if they wanted to win.

Many candidates may try to follow Seton and Redmond's cue and "balance their ticket"--choosing a running-mate who can appeal to constituencies they could not win over alone.

Stephen N. Smith '02, a progressive who has also spearheaded campus events such as last year's wildly successful Springfest, has found that his mixture of progressive and services-oriented accomplishments has made him a very desirable political partner.

So far, Smith says he has been approached by the progressive Driskell and by Darling.

But some questions about this strategy remain. Though Burton purports to be mindful of student services within the context of his progressive platform, he says he is doubtful of the effectiveness of a split ticket.

"That's a very good ploy to win, but I don't think it works very well in practice," he says, noting that the progressive half of the Seton-Redmond ticket was not as prominent during the first half of the pair's tenure as their campaign had suggested it would be.