Former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama took to the campaign trail to make their final speeches

This is a battle of the former.

Both Republicans and Democrats are turning to their popular former presidents for last-minute campaign help to bring former President Barack Obama out of semi-retirement to counter the gravitational pull of former President Donald Trump, who has been active throughout the campaign season.

On Sunday, Mr. Trump rallied supporters in Florida, where Senator Marco Rubio, a former opponent in the 2016 presidential primary, is now linking arms with the former president to seek a third term in the Senate. A day earlier, Mr. Trump was in Pennsylvania campaigning for his chosen candidates, Mehmet Oz for Senate and State Senator Doug Mastriano for governor.

Mr. Obama was also in Pennsylvania over the weekend, leading rallies in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro, the Democratic candidates for Senate and governor, respectively.

Mr. Obama, the 44th president, and Mr. Trump, the 45th president, gave stark contrasts to President Biden’s first two years in office, underscoring how much Tuesday’s election has become a referendum on the 46th president.

Mr Trump said Mr Biden and “ultra-left lunatics” were destroying the country and said voters had a chance to “end this madness”.

“If you support the decline and fall of America, you should vote for radical left-wing Democrats,” he said at a rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. “If you want to stop the destruction of our country and save the American dream, then you must vote Republican in a giant red wave this Tuesday.”

Mr. Obama, however, said Mr. Biden was ridding the country of a global pandemic that, along with the war in Ukraine, has fueled inflation, putting pressure on the working class.

Despite​​​​these headwinds, Mr Obama said Mr Biden had watched millions of new jobs be created and the unemployment rate fall. He also credited the Democratic-led Congress for passing Mr. Biden legislation that would cap the amount the government pays for prescription drugs and invest new money in infrastructure.

“If you help Democrats keep the House and pick up a few more seats in the Senate, you can ensure that he makes more progress on the issues you care about,” Mr. Obama said. “You have seen what he has achieved with the slightest advantage. If you vote, he can do more, but it’s up to you.”

Mr Obama said abortion, Social Security and democracy itself were on the ballot.

“I understand that democracy may not seem like a top priority right now, especially when you’re worried about paying the bills,” Mr. Obama said in Philadelphia. “But when true democracy goes, we’ve seen throughout history, we’ve seen all over the world, when true democracy goes, people suffer. It has real consequences.”

Former President Bill Clinton is also not campaigning, and neither is Mr. Biden. That means four of the last five presidents — all but George W. Bush — are meeting with voters in the final days of the campaign.

Political forecasters predict that Republicans will wrest control of the House from Democrats, while control of the Senate, which is split 50-50 and has Vice President Kamala Harris as the deciding vote, remains in question.

However, Republicans believe they have momentum in key races, including Pennsylvania, where Mr. Oz is closing in fast. The race is tied, with Mr. Oz up by 0.1 percentage point in the RealClear Politics polling average.

The state has been a major battleground in recent years. Mr. Trump won the state in 2016, and Mr. Biden took it in 2020.

Mr. Biden has a long history with the state. Born in Scranton, he often touts his working-class roots, reminding voters that when he represented Delaware in the Senate, he was sometimes referred to as Pennsylvania’s third senator.

On Saturday, Mr. Biden played a warm-up for his former boss, Mr. Obama. He said he needs support in Washington to pass an assault weapons ban, protect abortion rights and stop the GOP from destroying Social Security and Medicare.

“These guys never cease to amaze me, man,” Mr. Biden said. “They are literally scrambling for Social Security and Medicare.”

Earlier on Saturday, Mr. Biden campaigned in Illinois on behalf of Representatives Lauren Underwood, Sean Kasten and Bill Foster. On Sunday, he campaigned with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who faces a strong challenge from Republican Lee Zeldin.

On Saturday, Mr. Clinton campaigned with Ms. Hachul.

Mr. Obama, however, remains the hottest attraction for Democrats, while Mr. Trump beats other Republicans in terms of star power as he teases another presidential bid in 2024 and continues to cast doubt on the 2020 election.