President Donald Trump heads to New Hampshire on Thursday to gain a toehold in a state he barely lost in 2016 — and an old friend plans to come along.

At a Thursday night rally, Trump will make his case for 2020 reelection to a state that has hardly become more fond of him since he came up short against Hillary Clinton. The president's campaign has pinned its hopes for its second run on the Granite State's strong economy — even if Trump may spend more of his time in Manchester discussing immigration and railing against his political rivals than touting low unemployment.

Asked Thursday on the "New Hampshire Today" radio show what his "message" for the rally will be, Trump talked up the event itself. He claimed an estimated 12,000 people would come, adding that "we're going to have a lot of overflow." The president called New Hampshire residents "incredible people" and highlighted his primary win there in 2016, which "was really something special."

A former Trump ally could soon hitch his political fortunes in the state to the president's. Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is expected to meet with Trump in New Hampshire and attend the rally amid speculation that he could challenge Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen next year.

New Hampshire carries only 4 electoral votes in the presidential election, but the total does not capture its importance in 2020. The state's presidential elections have been close for years — an Al Gore victory there in 2000 would have put him in the White House instead of President George W. Bush, with or without the contested state of Florida. Trump comes to the state as Democratic presidential primary contenders flock there to build support for its February primary, the second nominating contest in the country.

"Really since the 1990s it's been a state that's been considered a battleground state largely because it's been divided," said Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center and a political science professor at the university.

Shaheen, a second-term senator, is also among only a handful of Democrats running for reelection in states where Trump was competitive in 2016. Republicans and Democrats covet the seat as they fight for control of the Senate – and the potential to control or check a president's legislative agenda.

The Trump campaign has started a push to compete in New Hampshire after the president lost the state by only 0.3 percentage point in 2016. On Wednesday, the campaign and the Republican Party announced their 2020 leadership team for the state, which includes three campaign co-chairs.