U.S. Sen. Richard Burr finally explained why he didn't wear socks in New Hampshire.

Speaking at a luncheon at the Emerging Issues Forum today, the Winston-Salem Republican said he asked about the rules on electioneering when he went to campaign for U.S. Sen. John McCain.

He was told that he is not supposed to talk to voters unless they approach him first.

And that's why, he said tongue in cheek, he wore no socks. People all over New Hampshire came up to him during the January primary.

"They'd say, 'Are you crazy? You're not wearing any socks!" he said.

He said he then told them that he was campaigning for McCain—sidestepping the electioneering rule.

A loyal Dome reader points out we forgot to list the winners of the last pool.

As it turned out, no one called New Hampshire exactly. Of the 20 entries, none correctly predicted the win by Hillary Clinton. The closest was Wayne Goodwin, who predicted a 33-33 tie between Barack Obama and Clinton. Still, that's kind of a cheat, so we're only giving him an honorable mention.

More got it right on the GOP side, with 14 correctly predicting the McCain-Romney-Huckabee order.

Since no one guessed all six correctly, we based the winner on those who had the lowest overall margin of error for all six races.

Numerically speaking, the winner is again Frank Williams, who was really off on Hillary Clinton, but much closer on the percentages of the other candidates. Persondem and Deepthroat were really close behind and neither were in any particular race.

Congratulations to all three.

James Romoser has a more positive take on John Edwards' future:

He finished in a distant third place tonight with about 17 percent of the vote — about what the polls were expecting. He has made it clear that he intends to stay in the race for the long haul. In one sense, Clinton’s victory in New Hampshire is good for Edwards, because an Obama win would have made Obama very difficult to stop. Now the race is essentially back to where it was before Iowa, and Edwards will need to find an opening somewhere. His best chance (which is, admittedly, still a long shot) may be on Jan. 26 in South Carolina, a state Edwards won four years ago. 

MANCHESTER, N.H.—It's a few minutes after 11 p.m. here in Manch Vegas, and the Edwards bash is winding down.

Hillary Clinton is on television, talking about the next generation. Trash litters the aged hardwood floors. Television crews are packing up, and a fellow in a gray beard and an Edwards sticker sweeps plastic cups and beer bottles into a black garbage bag, Barb Barrett reports.

On stage, a man and woman slowly fold one of the two giant American flags that flanked Edwards during his speech less than an hour ago.

Now, there's just one question left, and a young woman nearby voices it.

"Are we out of beer?"

MANCHESTER, N.H.—John Edwards campaign strategist Joe Trippi doesn’t see an Edwards-is-out storyline in tonight’s third-place finish.

"Honest to goodness, there are three people in this race, just as there was in Iowa," Trippi told reporters.
"We're now in the process where we’re going to South Carolina," he said. "The local media are going to see the campaign is three people."

Trippi doesn't think money will be an issue for Edwards, saying he was outspent four-to-one in New Hampshire, six-to-one in Iowa. "Look, that’s the whole point: We didn't have money in Iowa, and we beat (Clinton)," he said. "It's about message. If you have the message you can beat these people."

The real story in New Hampshire, he said, is simple: Is Clinton dead or not?

"Y'know, here we find out, (she's) still alive," Trippi said. "But that's about all you find out. Then you go on to the next page."

Edwards lands in South Carolina next. He has a rally in Clemson scheduled for noon Wednesday.

The Edwards campaign has been saying they’re on a marathon—not a sprint—to round up delegates. Senior strategist Joe Trippi predicts the numbers will fall out this way after tonight in New Hampshire:

Barack Obama, 22 delegates
Hillary Clinton, 21 delegates
John Edwards, 17 delegates

CNN is projecting for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire.

Update: CBS News calls for her too.

Update: And ABC News calls for her.

MANCHESTER, N.H.—John Edwards gave his speech to a rowdy (and lightly tipsy) crowd of some 300 people, many of them spilling out the door into the chilly night.

As soon as he hit the stage, hands popped up waving tiny American flags, or hoisting cell phones and digital cameras for snapshots of the candidate.

He spoke a version of his stump speech, vowing to go on with a grassroots campaign and give voice to the 99 percent of Americans who haven't voted in primaries yet, Barb Barrett reports.

The crowd interrupted plenty with applause, sometimes breaking into chants of "Edwards! Edwards," stomping their feet on the century-old hardwood floors in the textile mill.

Afterward, he hoisted his son Jack, hugged daughter Cate, then plowed into the crowd—hopping down from the stage with a spry little jump.

Supporters wanted more than a handshake. Many gave him hugs or long clasps. "Thank you," he said over and over, grinning. He hopped on stage again, gave a big-wave salute, and was gone, bound for South Carolina.

MSNBC calls for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire.