But both Orange County and the Balboa Bay Club have changed.
The growth of the Latino population in the county's north end, in particular, has increased Democratic registration and led to the election of more party members to local and state legislative offices.
As for the Bay Club, it entered a new era 16 months ago, when a new hotel and other facilities opened to the public.
Edwards, a multimillionaire trial lawyer before he became a U.S. senator from North Carolina, looked right at home at the club in his blue blazer and khaki pants. His audience also appeared well-heeled.
But Edwards -- picked by presumed Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John F. Kerry this month to be his running mate -- said he and his listeners shared the values of most Americans. "We believe in a country where everybody should have a chance to do well, where everybody can raise their kids in an environment where they know that tomorrow will be better than today," Edwards said.
In his 11-minute address, Edwards talked about the "moral responsibility" of lifting the 35 million Americans in poverty to a better life. He repeated the Democrats' pledge to build a strong military and strong international alliances, "so no young man or woman is ever sent to war needlessly because America has decided to go it alone." And he said the GOP's talk of values paled in comparison with the values Kerry had shown by volunteering for combat in Vietnam.
The crowd particularly seemed to like his assertion that "we need a commander in chief like John Kerry, who will lead the world, not bully it."
After the Newport Beach event, Edwards flew to Florida, where he has two fundraisers scheduled today. Kerry took the day off in Nantucket, Mass., to go kite-surfing as four boats crammed with reporters and television crews looked on.
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Times staff writer Michael Finnegan contributed to this report.
