CLAREMONT, Calif. — As Super Tuesday results come in, the five Claremont Colleges buzz with electoral politics. Flyers promoting Barack Obama litter the campus. Several days before, Ron Paul supporters leafleted the campus by night. Students sit in the campus center that doubles as a snack bar and pool hall.

Dozens of students eagerly watch the results come in on big screen TVs and a projection screen. Red, white, and blue balloons are all over the Hub. Posters set about the student government keep track of the delegate count.

Claremont McKenna, known for producing government and economics majors, actually invented something called “Fantasy Congress,” a politicos’ version of Fantasy Sports. My school has been dubbed by Newsweek the “Hottest for Election Year.” The campus is theoretically balanced between the Left and the Right, but a vote to change the station to Fox News from CNN failed overwhelmingly.

Even those who aren’t American citizens are getting excited. Jesse Blumenthal, a freshman from Toronto, sent his friends an electoral score card with delegate counts and vote percentages.

Although it seems a foregone conclusion that Senator Obama won the campus vote, the delegate-rich state seems up for grabs. Polls close tonight at 11 p.m. The results are hard to predict. So we had to content ourselves with the analysis of a beloved Claremont McKenna political science professor, Jack Pitney. He gave his predictions of the Republican and Democratic races:

On the Republican side he said, “The Republican race is a lot easier to predict. John McCain has a big advantage.”

The political first family of California are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, a member of the Kennedy clan. The Schwarzeneggers split between Messrs. McCain and Obama this past weekend. Professor Pitney says that Governor Schwarzenegger’s endorsement won’t make much of a difference at all. “John McCain isn’t going to win because Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed him. Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed him because he is going to win.”

Paul Lundberg, freshman and Army ROTC candidate from Redding, Calif., is voting for John McCain “because he has the national security experience and integrity to lead the country. I trust him on conservative values, even though he’s criticized for that.”

Dan O’Toole, a junior, disagrees. Though Mr. O’Toole thinks Senator McCain may be the most electable, he doesn’t know if he can vote for him. “I think Romney is better, at least where he stands now … My favorite was Fred Thompson,” Mr. O’Toole said. “Still, I’m conflicted. Romney could be a disaster. McCain will poach more Independents than base voters he will lose.”

David Daleiden, a freshman from the Bay area and head of Live Action, the school’s pro-life club, is one such base voter. “Huckabee is the real deal,” he says. “Mike Huckabee understands faith, family, and freedom — the three things that make America great.”

On the Democrat side, things become harder to predict, though at this writing Professor Pitney thinks Clinton will win. “The key for Clinton is to maintain a very strong base of support in the Latino vote … Latino could be anywhere between a fourth and a fifth of the primary electorate if they poll relatively equal.”

Campus Democrats Victoria Din and Matt Kelsey hope for an Obama victory. They cite a number of reasons for a large turnout for Obama. “Above all, I want a Democratic president in 2008. Obama’s chances are higher,” Mr. Kelsey says. “He can finally put a nail in the coffin of the Reagan coalition.” Obama supporters cite his “unifying appeal.”

That unifying appeal is what’s making Lauren Herell, California voter and Claremont McKenna junior, drive a friend 2,000 miles to the Washington Caucus to cast a vote for Senator Obama.

“Obama believes in hope and empowerment. Instead of relying on people to solve their own problems, he’s giving them empowerment to help solve their own problems by getting them involved in the political process.”

Only one student out of the dozen of Obama supporters interviewed spoke of the junior senator’s record. One student confessed, “I really don’t know why I voted for Obama. I like what he represents. He’s the voice of the future.”

Scott Arnold, a member of the school’s investment club, said that Mrs. Clinton’s health care policy didn’t appeal to him. “I don’t like some of the things Hillary Clinton has said about universal health care. I love Barack’s war stance.”

Brad Walters, student body president, an independent, and senior from northern California, says that he isn’t comfortable voting for Mr. Obama. “I don’t trust somebody with little record in federal government.”

What will we all think later this week? We may feel good. Fantasy Congress was born out of a feeling here and on other campuses that the real Congress was dull and static. Now the real political race matches the fantasy. There’s a second thought.

This election is supposed to be about hope. But even at a young age, some of the students are discontented at the hope aspect of the Obama movement. Brian Stoker, a senior and California voter, voiced his skepticism of Mr. Obama. “I voted for Hillary because I’m afraid of anyone that could convince half the campus to vote for him based solely on rhetoric.”

Mr. Johnson is majoring in government at Claremont McKenna and blogs for claremontconservative.blogspot.com.