Former President George H.W. Bush Backs Gillespie

Former President George H.W. Bush is endorsing Republican Ed Gillespie in his bid against incumbent Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner.

The nation's 41st president issued a statement through Gillespie's campaign on Sunday, just days before the Nov. 4 Election Day.

The endorsement comes as a Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University poll released Friday shows that likely voters favor Warner 51 percent to 44 percent over Gillespie.

Gillespie's support has grown over the course of several CNU polls since this summer, but Warner's support has never dipped below 50 percent.

In January, former Republican Sen. John Warner backed his Democratic successor over the former national GOP chairman in Virginia's U.S. Senate race. The Warners are not related.