ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry says his selection of John Edwards as his running mate seems to have injected energy into the campaign. Still, he recognizes the dangers of being swept up by the excitement and growing complacent.
"We're going to campaign intensely. There's not going to be any letup, and I'm very confident that the enthusiasm we are seeing is real," he said.
Mr. Edwards, interviewed alongside Mr. Kerry by The Associated Press, stopped short of saying he could help win the South for Democrats. The North Carolina senator had made that claim when he ran against Mr. Kerry for the nomination.
"I think we will be very competitive in the South, particularly in those states in which national Democrats need to be competitive to be successful," Mr. Edwards said.
Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards were ending four days of joint campaigning with a Saturday rally in Mr. Edwards' hometown, Raleigh, N.C.
Mr. Kerry was heading home to Boston afterward for a classified briefing from the Bush administration on the latest terrorist threats. Mr. Edwards begins a week of solo campaigning Wednesday with stops in Iowa, Illinois, Florida, California, Louisiana and Texas.
"This is a national campaign, and I intend to campaign on behalf of the ticket all over America - in the Midwest, in the Southwest, in the South," Mr. Edwards said.
The senators conducted interviews as they wrapped up a joint tour that included stops in New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and West Virginia.
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