Why vote for the opposition when you have the Evangelical candidate, George Bush, right there? If you don't at least pair populism with strong social conservatism, especially in the 2004 South which was enamored with the far right economics of Reagan and Clinton, you're a tough sell to those voters. Also, their hate of Massachusettsan Kerry definitely eclipsed any warm feelings for Edwards.
A book was written back then a couple of years later about how to make a democratic coalition with zero southern states.
