As his presidential hopes ended Tuesday, John Edwards is seen by many Democrats as an ideal running mate for John Kerry, complementing the Massachusetts senator with his comparative youth and charisma.

“He has a message … with appeal to lots of voters, from independents to working-class Democrats,” said Garry South, a party strategist based in California. “And he has always had one of the best raps down on (President) Bush of all the candidates in the field, even when we had 10 of them.”

While not exactly a draft-Edwards movement, the push to place him on the ticket shows how the 50-year-old North Carolina senator has captured the fancy of a great many party faithful, who tout his selection as a way to instantly unify Democrats.

Still, the only person whose opinion matters — Kerry — steadfastly refuses to say whom he might consider for vice president, insisting he is focused solely on clinching the nomination. Edwards also shuns talk of the vice presidential slot, maintaining he is not interested.

Neither statement is unusual, nor does it necessarily reflect where the candidates will stand even a short time from now.

Opinions differ among analysts on what, if any, advantages Edwards would bring to the Democratic ticket.

He has proved one of the party’s most talented speakers and shown a particular fluency addressing the anxieties of blue-collar Democrats. But a Kerry-Edwards ticket seems unlikely to succeed even in North Carolina, let alone other Southern states that have been less hospitable to Democrats.

“While I think John Edwards has more political talent in his little finger than John Kerry has in his whole body, I don’t know that as a running mate that makes much difference,” said Charles Cook, an independent campaign analyst in Washington.

If history offers any guide, it would be unusual for Kerry to turn to one of his vanquished rivals to fill out the November ticket.

Still, some Democrats believe this year could be different. They point to the swift and relatively bloodless primary campaign, which seems to have left few scars on either Kerry or Edwards despite some prickly exchanges, including several at a rowdy debate Sunday in New York.

Edwards’ boosters say that even if he couldn’t help Kerry win in the South, at least he could campaign there enough to force Republicans to respond with more time and effort than they would like.

They also suggest Edwards’ youth and buoyant campaign style would offset the more staid — some say aloof — manner of the 60-year-old Kerry.