Bill Clinton kicks off tour for wife's presidential campaign

NASHUA, N.H. (AP) — A subdued Bill Clinton offered a deeply personal endorsement of his wife's presidential campaign today, telling voters that Hillary Clinton's plans offer the best chance for the country to achieve economic prosperity and a secure future.

In a wide-ranging address that took voters through Hillary Clinton's work as a young lawyer in Arkansas, ways to combat heroin addiction, the political achievements of President Barack Obama and the failings of America's 14th president, Franklin Pierce, Bill Clinton argued that the Democratic front-runner offers the best plan to restore "broadly shared prosperity."

The event marked the former president's debut solo appearance for his wife's campaign, part of a broader strategy to deploy Bill Clinton publicly in the run-up to early voting next month.

"I do not believe in my lifetime anybody has run for this job at a moment of great importance who was better qualified by knowledge, experience and temperament to do what needs to be done now," he told several hundred New Hampshire voters gathered in a college auditorium.

His appearance comes after days of attacks over his impeachment and decades-old sex scandal by Republican front-runner Donald Trump.