Ryan, Clinton press presidential case in Minn.

For most of the campaign both candidates' campaigns largely ignored Minnesota, with its 10 electoral votes seen as safe pickings for President Barack Obama. But a recent statewide poll by the Star Tribune showed the Democrat's lead over Republican Mitt Romney had dwindled to within the margin of error, prompting the last-minute flurry.

The Clinton and Ryan events both drew thousands of enthusiastic supporters. The former president has been campaigning hard for Obama in recent weeks. Speaking to an overflow crowd before he entered the main rally in a St. Cloud State University ballroom, he apologized for his noticeably hoarse voice.

"We're coming down to the end of this campaign, but there's still votes to be gotten, people to be persuaded," said Clinton, who had appeared earlier in the day with Obama at a massive New Hampshire rally. "We need your help. The president needs your help."

Clinton was joined by Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken as well as Jim Graves, challenger to GOP U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann.

A few hours earlier, Ryan touched down at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on a campaign swing that also took him through battleground states Ohio and Colorado. At the Minnesota rally, inside a hangar, Ryan told the enthusiastic crowd that Romney is the clear choice in what he called "the most important election in our generation."