While voters in 24 states cast their ballots for the 2008 presidential election, right-leaning University of Wisconsin students watched and anticipated the effects Super Tuesday would have on their groups.

College Republicans Chair Sara Mikolajczak said she expects increased interest across campus from groups supporting Republican candidates, especially with no candidate breaking from the pack.

?I think the results in general show Wisconsin?s still going to matter,? Mikolajczak said Tuesday night. ?It looks like a lot of races on both sides are too close to call.?

Currently, Students for Mitt Romney and Students for Ron Paul are the only registered student groups at UW supporting Republican presidential candidates, while groups backing U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee have not been organized.

?There were a lot of GOP candidates, and interest was split among them all,? Mikolajczak said, noting that groups supporting former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., have already formed and disbanded.

?Now that there are fewer candidates it?ll be easier for people to rally around those candidates.?

Brad Engle, chair of UW Students for Mitt Romney, said last night looked like the former Massachusetts governor was positioning himself to win the nomination. Engle added he expects more student interest in the next few weeks and beyond.

?Of the Republican groups, I think we have the most, but a lot of kids are waiting for the race to be a little bit closer,? Engle said. ?Once we have a candidate, everyone?s really going to rally.?

Sol Grosskopf, a member of Students for Ron Paul, said the results wouldn?t mean the end for Paul?s bid for the nomination.

?I think it’s clear that we?re not going to have a winner by the end of the night, and this is a battle that?s going to continue to be waged,? Grosskopf said.

He added Paul has seen consistent mid- to high-single-digit showings, and they are not insignificant.

?He?s making the point that there are still Republicans that care about ? libertarian values [that] a large portion of our party still adhere to,? Grosskopf said.

The College Republicans won?t endorse a candidate before the Wisconsin primary, Mikolajczak said, and that makes it difficult for them to plan specific campaign-related events. She added the group will gather for its spring social event Feb. 19, the night of the Wisconsin primary.