Bill Clinton returning to Iowa to campaign for Bruce Braley

The Big Dog is coming back to Iowa.

Former President Bill Clinton will return to Iowa just three days ahead of Election Day next month to campaign for fellow Democrat Bruce Braley, the U.S. Senate candidate locked in a tight battle with Republican Joni Ernst.

Clinton will headline an "Iowa Votes" rally with Braley in downtown Des Moines on Saturday, Nov. 1, and then appear at Braley's Bruce, Blues and BBQ fundraiser that evening in Waterloo.

An advisory announcing the events – shared exclusively with The Des Moines Register on Friday – said Clinton will encourage voters to cast their ballots early.

Iowa voters may vote early at county election offices and satellite voting locations through Monday, Nov. 3.

Election Day is Nov. 4.

The visit signals Democrats are mustering all the firepower they can to rally support and get out the vote for Braley, who is running a close race with Ernst but has trailed in recent polling.

Clinton's late-breaking visit follows a joint appearance with his wife, former Secretary of State and potential 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, at retiring U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin's steak fry fundraiser last month, as well as two visits this month by First Lady Michelle Obama and another Hillary Clinton appearance scheduled for Wednesday.

Bill Clinton enjoys wide popularity in Iowa these days. A Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Iowa Poll conducted this month shows 57 percent of likely voters have a positive opinion of the former president, compared to 39 percent with a negative impression. Sixty-five percent of poll respondents said his support is helpful to Braley.

Braley, a four-term congressman, and Ernst, a state senator and Iowa National Guard officer, are running to succeed Harkin. The outcome could decide partisan control of the U.S. Senate.

In a statement responding to the announcement, a Republican Party of Iowa spokesman seized on Clinton's mispronunciation of Braley's name during the steak fry.

"The last time Bill Clinton was in Iowa, he said he supported 'Bruce Bailey', just like Michelle Obama," GOP spokesman Jahan Wilcox said. "These big names don't make much of a difference when it's obvious they have no idea who Congressman Braley is, let alone that he is an 8-year Congressman who skipped 75 percent of the Veterans' Affairs hearings."

Here are the full details:

What: Iowa Votes Rally with President Bill Clinton and Bruce Braley
When: 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1
Where: Brenton Skating Plaza, 520 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines
RSVP: www.BruceBraley.com/RSVP or call 515-802-8943

What: 10th Annual Bruce, Blues and BBQ with Special Guest President Bill Clinton
When: 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1
Where: Electric Park Ballroom, 310 W. Conger St., Waterloo
Tickets: www.BruceBraley.com/BBQ or call 319-290-6516