The rationale for John Edwards's presidential candidacy appears to be that he is a southern, white-male Democrat with broad appeal who, in a general election, could capture some of the states that make up the region where he grew up. But what if he can't capture those states even in a primary election? According to this chart, the Edwards trendline in South Carolina, where he was born, has been heading downward since the beginning of 2007. Today the Edwards trend is around 8.3 percent of the Democratic vote in South Carolina. Whatever John Edwards is selling, South Carolina Democrats don't appear to be buying it.