Former President Bill Clinton headlined a rally Sunday evening at Southern Maine Community College for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Libby Mitchell.
The rally came at the end of a three day swing through New England. Before his Maine stop, Clinton stumped for Democratic candidates in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
“If you take a look at Libby’s record, there is no way she can lose,” Clinton said.
Mitchell is currently in second place, behind Republican Paul LePage, according to a recent Rasmussen poll.
The 42nd president spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of around 1,500 Mitchell supporters.
“I’m pleading you to pretend that you are getting ready for the next sporting event,” he told the crowd. “I want to give you some ammunition to take with you. If you went through the trouble to be here, go through the trouble every day for the next two months to talk to someone about what we talked about here tonight.”
“I love this state. You have been good to me,” said Clinton. “You voted for me twice.”
“He really is a rock star,” Mitchell said of Clinton.
Gov. John Baldacci and U.S. Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree spoke before Clinton.
Michaud and Baldacci both said that George W.B. Bush was responsible for creating record federal deficits following Clinton’s two-term tenure, which ended with a surplus.
“I’m here tonight to offer a little group therapy to get ready for Nov. 2,” said Michaud. “We need to get back the hope of 2008.”
The former president in June endorsed Mitchell during the primaries with a robocall — a prerecorded message phoned to potential voters.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour will rally Republicans on Monday in Portland.
Olympic gold medal winning snowboarder Seth Wescott, a Mainer, was also in attendance, but did not speak.