Robert R. Porter '02 was elected president of the Harvard Republican Club last night, as a record number of dues-paying members turned out to vote.

W. Lucien Smith '03 won the vice presidency, Brian C. Grech '03 won the position of treasurer and Laura E. Seaton '03 won the post of secretary.

One hundred seventy-five dues-paying members voted, as 29 candidates ran for the six available slots on the board--a large increase from the 11 bids at last year's election.

Other new board members elected include membership director Richard T. Halvorson '02 and member-at-large Seth N. Kisch '04.

"This is a testament to the fact that the Republican Club is alive and well on this campus, and that membership is invigorated," said former president Jason P. Brinton '01.

Brinton said the inclusive nature of the Republican platforms resulted in an across-the-board appeal to many individuals outside of as well as within the party. Many of the candidates appealed to a wider audience in their bid for office.

"The point made by many of the candidates is that there is no litmus test for our party," Brinton said. According to Brinton, increased competition in this year's election resulted in the election of better candidates.

"It shows that the candidates that came out on top were really excellent leaders and people that were ready to assume the mantle of leadership," he said.