Clinton to stop in Ripley

Supporters pack state Capitol

From staff and wire reports
RIPLEY — Former President Bill Clinton will stop in Ripley tonight to campaign for his wife and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.

The “Solutions for America” event, featuring Bill Clinton, will take place at 7:30 p.m. today at the Ripley Volunteer Fire and Rescue Station at 337 West Main St., said Jessica Santillo, West Virginia communications director for the Clinton campaign.

The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, Santillo said.

Ripley is the final stop today for Bill Clinton, who will also make West Virginia appearances in Madison, Williamson, Wayne and St. Albans.

Clinton made campaign stops in Fayetteville, Fairlea and Athens on Thursday as the Democratic presidential candidates worked toward the West Virginia primary on Tuesday.

Before arriving in Jackson County tonight, Clinton is scheduled to stop in Madison at 10 a.m., 12:15 p.m. in Williamson, 3 p.m. in Wayne and 5:30 p.m. in St. Albans.

Meanwhile, several hundred West Virginians waited more than an hour Thursday to urge Hillary Clinton to continue her Democratic presidential bid. Driven inside by rain, supporters packed the state Capitol’s Rotunda to see the New York senator during her three-state blitz in the waning weeks of the primary season.

Gary Johngrass drove up from Lincoln County to join the rally. The Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War cited two botched knee surgeries at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals among his reasons for supporting Clinton.

‘‘It’s mainly been because of her support for the VA, and for getting more benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans,’’ said Johngrass, 57. ‘‘They’re going to need help as they start coming back home.’’

Her arrival delayed by more than an hour, the former first lady touted her energy proposals during her half-hour speech. She also promised the crowd that their state’s leading export, coal, ‘‘is not going anywhere’’ when it comes to future U.S. policy.

Clinton is expected to fare well in West Virginia’s primary on Tuesday. She has consistently outperformed Barack Obama among white, older and working-class voters in competitive primaries. With the nation’s third-highest percentage of seniors, West Virginia’s median family income is roughly $12,500 below the national median of about $58,000.

Obama is planning to return to West Virginia, though his campaign said Thursday that the details of his visit were still being worked out. He last visited the state in March.