Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's star Labor recruit Peter Beattie may be facing an uphill battle to win the federal seat of Forde.
A ReachTEL poll conducted for the Seven Network shows the Liberal National Party's Bert Van Manen leading Mr Beattie 54 to 46 in two-party preferred terms in the Queensland seat.
Mr Rudd twisted the former Queensland premier's arm to make his first foray into federal politics, as internal Labor polling showed existing candidate Des Hardman trailing Mr Van Manen four weeks out from the September 7 election.
"I have got the biggest fight of my political life ahead of me," Mr Beattie told the Seven Network on Friday.
Mr Rudd said he knew Labor was behind in Forde, which the coalition holds by a 1.6 per cent margin.
Labor is the underdog right across the country, he said.
"Peter Beattie has his job cut out for him but I know he's a person who'll rise to the challenge," Mr Rudd said.
Mr Rudd was not concerned about Brisbane newspaper The Courier-Mail's Friday front page, showing Mr Rudd and Mr Beattie with the headline "Send in the Clown".
"It's a free country," he said.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said voters were right to be sceptical about "celebrity blow-ins".
"Obviously if he were to get up it would radically increase leadership tensions within the Labor party," Mr Abbott said of Mr Beattie, who was premier of Queensland from 1998 to 2007.
"It's yet another example of a Labor party that is focused on itself," he said.
Labor's campaign spokeswoman Penny Wong said Forde was a must-win seat for Labor.
"I don't accept that this is a stunt ... it's about Labor holding government and making sure that Tony Abbott doesn't become prime minister," she said.
