LEWISTON — Maine seems ripe to go Libertarian in this year’s presidential campaign, according to candidate Gary Johnson’s New England campaign staff.

Johnson and running mate Bill Weld, former Massachusetts governor, will bring his third-party bid to The Dolard & Priscilla Gendron Franco Center in Lewiston on Aug. 26 for an early evening rally.

The rally is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. but the doors open at 4:30 p.m. It’s free and open to the public, and ticket reservations are available online at Eventbrite.com.

Dan Fishman, New England regional director for the campaign, said the pair will likely stick around and take in the Lewiston Art Walk after the rally.

“Why not? It’s a good chance for him to get a real feel for the place,” Fishman said.

The candidate is hoping to sell himself as an alternative to the Democrat and Republican offerings this year.

“Both Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton are promising more authoritarianism government,” Fishman said. “That’s not helping to heal the country. It’s just creating more divisiveness. But choosing something different, like Johnson-Weld, it gives us a chance to heal some of our divisions.”

The campaign’s goal is to boost Johnson’s polling profile. Johnson needs to claim at least 15 percent in national polls to qualify for a spot on the presidential debate stages with Clinton and Trump.

“We are polling very well in Utah right now, but I think we can win Maine, too,” Fishman said. “Mainers tend to be very independent and self-reliant and I think what we are trying to accomplish will really resonate in Maine.”

The Lewiston stop is part of a four-day New England sweep, beginning in Vermont on Aug. 24, New Hampshire on Aug. 25 and Maine on Aug. 26. It culminates with an Aug. 27 rally in the Boston Common, Fishman said.

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