Did Easley lose on Tuesday?

Did Gov. Mike Easley lose on Tuesday?

The governor was not on the ballot, but he was the highest-ranking state politician to publicly endorse Hillary Clinton in the presidential primary and he campaigned heavily for her.

That led Washington Post blogger Chris Cillizza to list him as one of the primary's losers.

"Obama hammered Clinton in the Tarheel State, and Easley, who will be looking for a job when his second term expires later this year, did himself no favors in positioning for a possible Obama cabinet," he writes. (Note to the Fix: That's Tar Heel State.)

Certainly, Easley damaged his reputation among a certain segment of Barack Obama voters, more than he expected perhaps. (He seemed surprised to be booed at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.) But that's never been his base anyway.

Easley's and Clinton's demographics lined up this election cycle, so an Obama endorsement would have been difficult. (Just as a John Edwards endorsement of Clinton wouldn't really work.) Sitting the race out was an option, but it would have added to the recent charges that he is too aloof.

And Easley does not seem to want a D.C. job after his term ends.

On the plus side, Clinton spent a lot of time talking about Easley's pet issues of attracting biotech firms and training students for our future workforce — including on national television. And as a term-limited governor, he has some political capital to spend.

So, in the end, endorsing Clinton may not have hurt him that much.