First Lady to make visit to Clovis

First lady Laura Bush is scheduled to be in Clovis on Wednesday to campaign for her husband’s re-election, local Republicans said Thursday evening.

Rube Render, a member of the Curry County Republicans central committee, said the first lady is scheduled to appear some time in the afternoon. The tentative location for the campaign event is at Greene Acres Park.

Somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 tickets for the event will be available about 3 p.m. today at the Curry County Republicans office, 115 E. Seventh St. in Clovis. The tickets are free and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, officials said.

Rep. Anna Crook, R-Clovis, and Brett Johnson, chairman of the Curry County Republicans, confirmed Bush’s planned arrival.

Render said this will be the first time a first lady has visited Clovis.

“The local Republicans are ecstatic that this is going to happen,” Render said. “In my mind it’s one of the top three people in the campaign. You’ve got the president, the vice president and then the first lady. For that level of interest in Clovis, I think it bodes well for the eastern part of the state.”

Laura Bush was campaigning in Wausau, Wis., on Thursday, according to her Web site.

“These are times of change for our nation, but they’re also years of promise,” she told the audience.

“George and I grew up in West Texas where the sky seems endless and so do the possibilities. My husband brings that optimism, that sense of purpose, that certainty that a better day is before us to his job every day. And with your help, he’ll do it for four more years.”