LEWISTON — Former President Bill Clinton will campaign in Lewiston for gubernatorial candidate Libby Mitchell two days before the election.

Clinton will speak at a Mitchell rally on Sunday, Oct. 31, at the Lewiston Armory, 65 Central Ave. The armory doors will open at 10 a.m. The rally is free, but tickets will be required. They are available at www.mainedems.org/clinton.

In a letter to supporters Friday, Mitchell said she was excited about having Clinton back in Maine “to help make the case to undecided voters and supporters in the final few days.”

Clinton presided over one of the longest economic expansions in the nation’s history, Mitchell said, adding that her plan as governor would be to focus on job creation and education.

Clinton came to South Portland for a Mitchell rally Sept. 26. More than 1,500 people attended, Mitchell campaign communications director David Loughran said Friday.

He’s coming to Lewiston, historically a town that has supported Democrats, “because it’s an important place in this election,” Loughran said. “It’s a place Libby’s enjoyed a lot of support.”

The latest poll shows Mitchell needs help.

Republican candidate Paul LePage has a significant lead over Mitchell, and independent Eliot Cutler is at Mitchell’s heels. A Critical Insights poll released Thursday showed LePage with 32 percent of the vote, Mitchell with 20 percent and Cutler with 19 percent. Undecideds made up 21 percent, a high percentage for the election being less than two weeks away.

Mitchell’s numbers show she lacks the support of a good number of voters in her own party. In the November 2008 election, 322,443 of the state’s 980,952 voters were registered as Democrats.

Clinton wouldn’t be coming to Lewiston if Mitchell wasn’t behind in the race, said Marv Druker, a professor at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College. “The race is so volatile that anything could happen.”

Clinton has been going around the country campaigning for Democrats. “It seems he’s able to go anywhere, and he’s the most acceptable prominent Democrat,” Druker said.

When Clinton campaigned for Mitchell last month, “Libby’s poll numbers went up,” Druker said. “If he can get traditional Democrats interested in the election, he can increase the likelihood of more turning out to support Libby Mitchell, then it’s a positive thing for her campaign.”

Bill Clinton has star power, Druker said. Most polls show him “the most popular national figure around, more than any other Democrat or Republican.”

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