N.C. senator hits trail again

CLEVELAND -- John Edwards, who had not stopped campaigning even after dropping out of the race for the Democratic nomination four months ago, was back on the stump yesterday, his first day on the job as John F. Kerry's running mate. Amid intermittent rain, Edwards faced an enthusiastic crowd, unleashing a vigorous attack on President Bush while lavishing praise on the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Behind him, Kerry horsed around with Edwards's rambunctious 4-year-old son, Jack, who wore a red-and-white striped shirt and a bashful smirk. It was also the boy's first day on the job -- and the cameras whirred and clicked.

Edwards seemed comfortable in his new role, aggressively criticizing Bush and Republican policies while his telegenic family, standing aside the Kerry-Heinz brood, provided a multigenerational photo opportunity. Both stagecraft and message seemed designed to underscore a theme Kerry has been emphasizing in recent weeks: that Bush favors elites, while Kerry embraces middle-class values.

''John understands, in a very real way, the problems of the families that I grew up with in North Carolina," said Edwards, who came of age in small Southern textile mill towns, a fact he mentioned in almost every speech during his race for the Democratic nomination earlier this year.

Still, the North Carolina senator largely avoided the themes that served him in the primary: his humble roots and his pleas for a positive campaign. He never mentioned the ''two Americas," a staple of his populist stump speech. Instead, he heaped praise on Kerry, whose political skills he once disparaged, and attacked Bush.

In the day's applause winner, both themes merged: ''I can tell you one thing you can take to the bank -- [Kerry] will always tell the American people the truth," Edwards told a crowd in downtown Cleveland.

Although the campaign rally was Edwards's formal return to the presidential trail, he scarcely stopped campaigning since he dropped out of the primary race March 3. Edwards was in demand by congressional Democrats throughout the spring, has held numerous fund-raisers for Kerry, and seemed to be rehearsing for the vice presidential spot.

The day began at Teresa Heinz Kerry's verdant farm outside Pittsburgh. The Kerry and Edwards families strolled out hand in hand, with the rolling Pennsylvania hills as a backdrop. After flashing broad smiles and making a few light comments, the families walked back to the Heinz mansion, with Kerry playfully picking up Jack Edwards on the way. Throughout the day, the sandy-haired boy was a focal point of the socializing between the families.

If any tension remained from the primary battle, none was evident. Edwards, in his speech on the Cleveland waterfront, recalled his unsuccessful effort to beat Kerry for the Democratic nomination, a contest that grew heated in its final weeks when Edwards criticized Kerry's trade policy as not friendly to workers and implied that the wealthy Bostonian was out of touch with ordinary Americans.

''What I saw was a man who has the strength, the courage, the determination, and the heart to be a great president of the United States," Edwards said.

Edwards drew widespread praise from the crowd, even if not everyone was convinced that the relationship between the two former rivals was as smooth as it seemed.

''I still feel a little awkward about it," said Larry Vasel, a 56-year-old Vietnam veteran from Medina, Ohio. ''I think they're trying to give the impression that they're comfortable with each other, but they're not quite there yet, I think."

But Vasel praised Edwards, saying: ''He comes across as so honest, so believable. . . . He adds some personality and energy."

In the run-up to Kerry's vice presidential selection, many people speculated he would pass over Edwards for fear of looking dull in comparison. Indeed, Edwards garnered more applause than Kerry in Cleveland yesterday during his 11-minute address.

Asked about the dynamic between the two candidates, Valerie McCormack, 47, of Cleveland, said: ''John Edwards brings a softer and smoother image. But Kerry is impressive too, with his Vietnam record."

For his part, Kerry praised Edwards's roots, career, and political skills, as well as his flaxen hair, quipping that the Democratic ticket would win because, ''We've got better hair, and I'll tell you that goes a long way."

In Cleveland, Kerry was introduced by Edwards's wife, Elizabeth, who seemed nervous, referring to him as, ''John . . . uh . . . Senator Kerry." But she made clear she was happy upon learning her husband would get the vice presidential nod. ''Yesterday was a pretty exciting day for us," she said.

Raja Mishra can be reached at rmishra@globe.com.