On Wednesday in Nowra, the Liberal Party wheeled out a popular Australian political identity in John Howard.
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Locals gave Australia's second-longest serving Prime Minister a rock star's reception, reaching out to meet him and waving from cars during his walk up and down Junction Street.
He conceded he was in town to fight for a seat the Liberals are at risk of losing.
"I want to help in marginal seats, it's not a mystery tour, in an election campaign, you naturally work in electorates that you think are under threat," Mr Howard said.
"Gilmore is a marginal seat we're not denying that."
Mr Howard provided a glowing endorsement of Gilmore Liberal candidate Warren Mundine.
The pair have clearly made amends since a public stoush in 2007, when Mr Mundine said he "hated" the then Prime Minister, who proceeded to accuse Mr Mundine of being "juvenile".
"Warren's views and allegiances have matured," Mr Howard said.
"He understands the challenges of family life, the challenges of small business and he will bring to the representation of this area in parliament a breadth of real life experience."
Mr Howard does not have a problem with Prime Minister Scott Morrison's captain call in Gilmore, which brought grief to many loyal Liberal Party members.
"A choice was made in accordance with the constitution of the party," he said.
"I think the right outcome was achieved."
He encouraged Coalition supporters who did not want to vote for Mr Mundine to vote for Katrina Hodgkinson, and defended the Nationals for also running a candidate.
"There is nothing unusual about having a three-cornered contest," he said.
"It's been a part of the arrangement that if the seat becomes vacant it is open to the other Coalition partner to run a candidate."
There have been two Liberal Party leadership spills since 2015 and Tony Abbott recently confirmed he wants the top job again, but Mr Howard is not concerned about party instability.
"I think the Liberal Party is quite civil," he said.
"We've had arguments, I've been involved in some myself, we've had the odd scrap. Political parties are full of ambitious people, we have to remember the real enemies are the big-taxing, high-spending members of the Labor Party."
