HAMMOND | Gayle and Pierre Vuletic and their adult sons Allen and James Douglas may have sat in the same room Wednesday to watch the Democratic presidential debate.

But they won't be casting the same votes. Gayle and James are supporting U.S. Sen. Barack Obama for the presidency, while Pierre said he's likely to vote for U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton in Indiana's May 6 primary election.

And Allen? Well, he found a way to sit through the debate, even if he had to resort to scoffing at times.

"(U.S. Sen. John) McCain would be better than either of them," Allen said. "I could keep reading (news reports) for the rest of the election cycle and it wouldn't change my mind."

"As the saying goes, you have to pick the lesser of three evils," James said.

Obama and Clinton squared off in what was billed as possibly the last Democratic debate before the party picks its candidate for the White House in August.

But in this Hammond family, the debate didn't change any minds. No one would declare a "winner" of the debate.

All agreed they were tired of hearing about the political controversies that dominated the first half of the 90-minute debate, such as Obama's comments about religion and guns and Clinton's misstatements about being exposed to sniper fire in Bosnia.

"I look at their record, not just what they say, a slip of the mouth or whatever," Pierre said.

"I'm looking at the issues and what the individuals have voted for," Gayle said.

For Gayle, who is the corporate secretary for Hessville Plumbing, the economy and specifically the price of gas are the top issues she wanted to hear about.

"For us right now, the big thing is gas," Gayle said. "We're spending $3,000 a month on gas. We can't give our employees raises or invest in our business."

Pierre, a union worker at U.S. Steel, said he supports Clinton because she has shown herself to be tough enough to have the job as commander in chief.

"I just think she's a fighter," Pierre said. "She's behind in the polls and she's toughing it out."

"I think Hillary has too much baggage," Gayle said.

Gayle read Internet reports about the live debate on a laptop while the program was being broadcast live from Philadelphia, offering periodic tidbits about the latest polls and the national unemployment rate.

She said she believes the Indiana primary could have a real impact on the national political arena for the first time in many years.

"I think because it does matter this time, we'll have a record turnout," Gayle said.