We have a good polling organization here in North Carolina - Public Policy Polling (PPP). They are not at all partisan to Edwards, in fact some of their previous polls have been used to say Edwards didn't even win his home state against Obama and Clinton. So, the polls out of North Carolina today might be instructive when it comes to "electability" in the swing/red states. Then again, it is his homestate, so maybe not.
From Public Policy Polling:
John Edwards would be the strongest general election candidate for President in North Carolina, according to our newest poll. That may seem obvious to folks outside the state, but Hillary Clinton has actually been leading most recent polls in the state for the Democratic primary. The reality in North Carolina, like many other states, is that while a majority of Democrats may prefer Clinton or Barack Obama, Edwards is their surest ticket to reclaiming the White House.
The numbers:
Edwards 48 Rudy Giuliani 43
Edwards 50 Mike Huckabee 43
Edwards 52 Mitt Romney 40
Giuliani 46 Clinton 39
Huckabee 48 Clinton 42
Romney 46 Clinton 42
Giuliani 46 Obama 43
Huckabee 47 Obama 42
Romney 45 Obama 42
I think this matters, but I think it matters because of the crosstabs that are found in the poll and not the final numbers themselves. In every matchup, Edwards is the only Democrat to get over 50% of the vote from women. In fact, the numbers average out to something like:
Edwards: 56.5%
Clinton: 46%
Obama: 46%
The second major factor is "Other", or those respondents that claimed to be neither Democrat nor Republican. The numbers there are roughly:
Edwards: 40%
Clinton: 26.5%
Obama: 30%
John Edwards ran against the Helms machine in North Carolina and defeated it, he ran on the heavily Swift-Boated ticket in 04. North Carolina conservatives and Independents have no reason to love John Edwards based on the way he has been portrayed in the national media. Yet, they flock to him compared to the other Democratic candidates. So, I ask you, does it matter?