Bush Plans 11th-Hour Rally in Va. For Kilgore

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush moved up his return from Panama, where he is finishing a Latin America swing, to appear at the rally Monday. He had been scheduled to return to Andrews Air Force Base at 8:05 p.m., she said. The rally is scheduled to start at 8 p.m., and tickets are required, Kilgore officials said.

The decision to bring Bush in for the rally reflects a desire to motivate die-hard Republicans, who still support the president strongly, to turn out to vote Tuesday, according to Virginia Republicans.

Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for the Kilgore campaign, said, "We're thrilled to have the support of the leader of the free world. The night before the election is the best time to have him in and fire up our voters."

But political observers said the effort could backfire.

"This tells me the Kilgore camp is really worried about the need to energize his base, and that can't be good," said Mark J. Rozell, a professor of politics at George Mason University. "This is a real gift to the Kaine candidacy. They can now tie the fortunes of the Bush presidency, such as they are, to the Kilgore campaign."

Robert E. Denton Jr., a Virginia Tech professor of political communication, said he was surprised "because I think clearly it is a risk. Certainly if you didn't need him, you wouldn't bring him in."

The president's poll numbers have been sagging nationally and in Virginia. A Washington Post-ABC News poll published Friday and based on a nationwide survey reported negative ratings on the economy and terrorism and suggested that a majority of Americans for the first time question the president's integrity.

In The Post poll on the governor's race, 70 percent of Virginia voters say they think the state is going in the right direction, and nearly two-thirds say the country is seriously off on the wrong track.

Polls in Virginia will be open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Staff writer Robert Barnes contributed to this report.