2008 Watch: John Edwards?

So it falls to me to help Hillary Clinton's cause. Okay, quick question: How helpful was John Edwards in helping Democrats down south? Granted, Kerry lost every Southern state, but Edwards must have helped in the precincts that know him best, right? Not so fast. Galley Friend P.C. sends along this interesting data:

Edwards's home precinct, Precinct 111, Raleigh:
Kerry-Edwards 362 - Bush-Cheney 847

Edwards's home county, Wake County:
Kerry-Edwards 162,750 - Bush-Cheney 172,563

Edwards's home state, North Carolina:
Kerry-Edwards 1,488,278 - Bush-Cheney 1,919,903

Edwards's boyhood home, Robbins, N.C.:
Kerry-Edwards 13,360 - Bush-Cheney 24,420

Edwards's birthplace, Oconee Cty, S.C.:
Kerry-Edwards 8,326 - Bush-Cheney 18,715

Edwards's state of birth, South Carolina:
Kerry-Edwards 648,443 - Bush-Cheney 920,072

A few caveats: This data is changing because the provisional ballots are still not all counted; these numbers are as of last weekend. Also, as George Will points out running mates don't often influence elections or even carry their home states.

But surely running mates who want to make a claim on their party's nomination in the future have to do better than this.