After months of pounding the pavement and going door to door in support of the Republican Party, the UA College Republicans felt both victory and defeat last night as they watched election results post.

Around 9 p.m., a chorus of cheers broke out among the small group of College Republicans, who gathered with other members of the Pima County Republican Party after Jim Kolbe's reelection as U.S. Congressman was announced.

However, the excitement died down as those packed in the room realized that Ross Hieb, the Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in District 7, was likely to be defeated by opposing Democrat Raul Grijalva.

Many of the College Republicans had spent a significant amount of time and effort on Kolbe's and Hieb's campaign for reelection.

The night before the election, everyone met at Kolbe's headquarters and put up signs on every major street corner and at every polling site, said Chris Marino, a political science sophomore.

"My car went down Broadway, Alvernon to Pantano, putting a sign on every corner," he said.

As Kolbe addressed a crowd of supporters, he paid a tribute to the College Republicans' efforts.

"I've been around in politics a long time, and I've never had support like this before," he said. "(The College Republicans are) a fabulous source of volunteerism."

Ever since the semester began, all 40 active members of the College Republicans have devoted as much of their time as they could to their party, said Pam Simpson, a communications senior.

"Most of us are pretty hard-core. For the past few weeks, we have had zero free time," said Vincent Cilli, a political science junior. "We're not just working on any specific candidate; we're just trying to get the vote out, no matter what party."

The actual goal of the College Republicans is to increase political awareness on campus, Cilli said.

"With an emphasis on the Republican Party," Simpson added.

As a result, the College Republicans have divided their time between registering students out on the UA Mall and publicizing candidates' campaigns.

"We're putting our feet on the pavement," said Jessica Bortolini, a communications senior. "We're walking, putting out signs and making phone calls."

The College Republicans was founded three years ago with around six members. By the 2000 elections, membership shot up to 200, Bartolini said.

Starting last year, the club became more active than it has ever been.

"Want to know why I'm in the city council? It's because of these (College Republicans) here," said Kathleen Dunbar, Tucson city councilwoman.

Now that the election is over, the College Republicans are ready to take a break.

"I need a little time off," Simpson said.

But the work is never done, Marino said.

"We're always looking at the next election," he added.