ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Former President Bill Clinton will bring his star power and rhetorical prowess to New Mexico on today when he is scheduled to appear at an afternoon rally with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Diane Denish in Espanola, a town just north of Santa Fe.

The Denish campaign anticipates that a crowd of thousands will gather on Espanola Plaza as Clinton returns to New Mexico--a state he carried in both 1992 and 1996.

"One thing I appreciate about President Clinton is that he has a very optimistic, positive view of not only the future but of what we can do," Denish said in an interview with RealClearPolitics on Wednesday. "I think that's diametrically opposed to what we hear from the other side, which is about fear and frustration and anger and madness and nastiness. He's totally the other side of that. He pumps people up."

Denish, New Mexico's current lieutenant governor, will need Clinton to do just that, since she has trailed Republican Susana Martinez in recent polls.

Clinton has been hitting the campaign trail hard, as Democratic candidates locked in close races nationwide try to take advantage of the former president's continued popularity and ability to energize progressive voters.

On Tuesday, Clinton appeared at an event with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada, in which the former president said that voting for Reid's Republican opponent Sharron Angle would be "unbelievably negligent."

On Wednesday night, Clinton is scheduled to return to his home state of Arkansas to rally support for incumbent Senator Blanche Lincoln, who has trailed badly in her reelection battle against Republican Rep. John Boozman.

Clinton had earlier appearances this week in Kentucky, West Virginia, and New York. His impending visit to New Mexico will provide one of Denish's final opportunities to generate substantial statewide and national attention before Election Day.

Denish worked with Clinton when she chaired the New Mexico Democratic Party. She also campaigned for Hillary Clinton in New Mexico's 2008 presidential caucus, which the former New York Senator narrowly won.

"I think he'll talk about how tough it is to turn the economy around," Denish said. "He knows me very well. I've worked with him for over ten years, maybe even longer than that."

Early voting in New Mexico begins this Saturday, and Clinton will likely encourage Denish's supporteres to get to the polls as soon as possible.

"It's very timely that he's here just before then," Denish said.