The former prime minister famously lost his seat in the wipeout election of 2007 as the Liberals asked voters for a fifth term of government.
Tennis great John Alexander won it back from Labor's Maxine McKew in 2010 but the Liberal MP is retiring with party newcomer Simon Kennedy to run for the spot.
"I think Simon is an excellent replacement but sensibly he's working hard," Mr Howard said on Saturday.
"You treat every seat as at risk: common sense proposition. But I think he'll win."
It comes as the Liberals face high-profile independent challengers in blue-ribbon seats where they are campaigning on issues like climate change and a federal corruption watchdog.
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg waved off concerns about the ballot order in his seat of Kooyong, with the treasurer seventh on the 11-candidate ballot while his independent opponent Monique Ryan took pole position.
"There's the luck of the draw when it comes to the ballot, you just accept it and you move on," Mr Frydenberg told ABC News.
In the Sydney seat of Warringah, the Liberal party's choice of Katherine Deves as candidate has raised concerns within the coalition and in the broader community.
Government MPs are forming ranks around Ms Deves, who has a long and recent history of transphobic comments, including saying transgender children were "mutilated" and linking cross-dressing and gender transitioning to serial killing and sex offending.
Ms Deves has been a vocal campaigner to ban outright transgender women playing in women's leagues, likening her protests to trying to stop the Holocaust.
Liberal frontbencher Jane Hume couldn't say if voters were worried about transgender athletes in sport, instead saying Labor was the only one raising the issue by attacking Ms Deves.
The senator said sex discrimination legislation was clear on the issue, which don't bar sporting codes from creating women's only leagues, and the government had no plans to change those laws.
"Labor keep raising it over and over again because they're trying to disparage the candidate for Warringah," Senator Hume told Sky.
Labor's Clare O'Neil said she didn't know why the Liberals were talking about it then.
"I'm trying to understand why you think this is something that needs to be prioritised," Ms O'Neil said.
Meanwhile, Mr Frydenberg said cost of living pressures were challenging many Australians as his government and Labor battle it out over their economic plans.
Both parties have offered more cash splashes to woo voters, with the coalition pledging $20 million for more camping and fishing facilities while Labor wants to put $15 million in opening more language courses at weekend schools.
Elsewhere, Anthony Albanese is confident he will hit the ground running when he emerges from COVID-19 isolation next week, just in time for Labor's campaign launch.
The opposition's campaign has been dealt a major blow after Mr Albanese tested positive for the virus, with Labor frontbenchers stepping in for the next few days.
Instead deputy leader Richard Marles is touring Brisbane with local candidates and Labor frontbenchers.
Mr Morrison will spend day 13 of the campaign in marginal seats on the NSW Central Coast, beginning on Saturday with a tour of Terrigal.
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