Who Is Anita Perry?

Talk about meeting cute: Anita Thigpen first saw Rick Perry at a piano recital in Haskell, Texas, when she was 6 and he was 8. They began dating in high school and wed in 1982.

Known as private and shy, the candidate's wife could be his best spokesperson. Perry, 59, is in fact a warm, chatty woman brimming with Texas charm who finishes her interview by inviting the writer out for a beer.

A former nurse, she has begun traveling the United States to campaign for her husband. In this rare one-on-one, Perry opens up about the man she calls "Ricky."


LYNN SHERR: Let’s start with an easy question. How would you describe your husband?
ANITA PERRY: I think he’s the most handsome man. And he’s creative, smart, kind, thoughtful. …

What’s your pet name for him?
Ricky. He calls me Nita.

Your husband says you urged him to enter the race. Why?
My daddy was a family practice doctor, and in the 1970s after Medicare began, I remember him telling me, as wise as he was, “We’re moving towards socialized medicine. The first time you take a dollar from the federal government, they’ll start trying to control your life.” I became a nurse, and I’ve seen government take away more and more of our freedom to choose the care we want and the drugs we want.

When did you first talk to your husband about running?
I started thinking about it last November after his reelection. Then in June a friend sent me a magazine article; it was about Obamacare. I read it and thought, “I don’t want more of the same.” One day Rick and I were talking and I said, “I am so concerned with our children’s future and their children’s future and what will happen to them. We’ve given so many years to public service, and we need to make a difference.” I didn’t want us to wake up when we were 80 and regret we didn’t do this. Our country is in danger, in my opinion. 

Read our exclusive interview:Rick Perry Hates to Lose

He’s taken a lot of heat over his 2007 executive order mandating that sixth-grade girls get the HPV vaccine unless their parents opted out. [It was overturned by the state legislature.] What role did you play in his decision?
I didn’t know anything about it.

What was your reaction when you heard about it?
I wish he’d talked to me first.

Was it the wrong decision?
No, but I thought he handled it the wrong way. I’ve been cochair for the March of Dimes immunization program, and I’m pro-immunization. I would have supported the vaccine. I do not see it as an opening for sexual promiscuity in any way. I see it as another immunization.

Do you think your husband’s taking some unfair hits?
Yes, he’s said he made a mistake. He just wants to get rid of cancer in our lifetime. I don’t know how many other men would admit, “I made a mistake.”

Presidential campaigns usually get very ugly. Can you handle it?
It’s already ugly. [laughs] It’s so unkind and unfair, because you know what? All we want to do is serve our country, fight for freedom, and bring back America, the greatest country in the world. The other day, an older lady asked me, “What do you think about the polls?” I said, “I can’t look at them. All I can do is get up every day and tell everyone what a wonderful man and leader Rick Perry is.”

If he is elected president next year, what issues or causes will you take up as first lady?
It’s hard to say. I’m a health care professional. I love our military. But we’ve got a lot of work to do before we make it to the White House.

You’ve said your husband prays every night and morning. Yes. He always asks for wisdom for our president. What about you?
I pray that God will send his angels to protect my children.

Is it hard for you to go out and make campaign speeches?
It’s not hard. I’ve had lots of years to do it, and I’ve become comfortable in that role. I love meeting people—goodness gracious, that’s the best part.

When your husband gives speeches, do you ever find yourself wanting to put words in his mouth?
No, because he always says the right thing.

Always?
Well, most of the time. Whether he says it in a way that you or I want to hear …

Let me ask you one last question about the future. If you make it all the way to the White House, what will you bring with you?
Fun, humor, kindness, and a love for our country.

NEXT: Who is her favorite First Lady?

How would you describe your relationship with your husband?
Very long-term, very open, very forgiving, very romantic, very loving.

Romantic and loving, how? Are you touchers?
We’re touchers, but I think Texans are touchers. We’re huggers. We’re always touching on the arm, we’re always nurturing.

Last year you told the Dallas Morning News that you try to keep your husband grounded. You said, “When he gets too puffed up, I’m always saying, ‘Who told you you were cute today?’” Does he often get puffed up?
[laughs] No, he doesn’t. But you know, I think we all do. I’m sure I do. I don’t like to admit it, but I’m sure I do.

How can you tell when he’s puffed up?
Oh, he tends to—he doesn’t talk as much or he doesn’t talk to me. He kinda makes me feel like, I don’t need to talk to you about this. And then I remind him who he is and how long I’ve known him. We know each other inside out.

How would you describe your tone of voice when you do that? Are you being stern or funny?
He says, “You have a tone.” And I go, “Yes, I do.” We call it TOV—tone of voice.

And does the TOV work in other circumstances?
It works in our family. We use it on our children. We don’t say “You hush up” or “Shut up,” it’s the TOV.

How else do you keep your husband grounded? He’s in kind of a bubble now because everyone around him is working for him. How do you keep him sane?
Our son Griffin was three months old when Rick came in and he told me he was going to run for the Texas House. He became a legislator, and he’s very handsome, fun, he never meets a stranger. He’s really somebody that you want to go have a beer with, truly. He came home one weekend [from Austin where he’d spend his weeks serving in the legislature]. I was home [in Haskell] working as director of nurses at our hospital, and we had two little children. Thank goodness, I had my parents in town. I had family support. So he came home one weekend, and he said, “I’ve gotta go back Sunday because they want me to do something.” I just looked at him and said, “You know what? You’re gonna look back, and all you’re going to have are these children and me.” It really stuck with him.

Let’s move on. Your husband has talked about how much he likes to hunt. Are you a hunter?
I go with him, but I am not a hunter.

Okay. Do you own a gun?
Yes, I own a gun, but it was a gift.

Have you ever shot it?
I have not. It’s a pistol.

Right. But you’ve shot other guns?
I’ve had a shotgun, but I’ve maybe bird hunted twice in my life. I’m not a hunter. I don’t mind hunting, and I’m happy to go with them. Both my children hunt with him.

Your husband credits you with urging him to run for the presidency. What exactly happened? Did you march in and talk to him?
No, no, we don’t do that. We’ve known each other too long. We read each other like a book. But we talked to our children. We prayed about it. We knew as soon as he entered, what would happen to our profile and our visibility and that our life would be an open book.

What do you think about First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign? Do you think it’s a good idea for a First Lady?
I think it’s got some great points. I know in Texas that we have an obesity problem among our young people and our older people, and diabetes is prevalent. We’re a sedentary population, and we sit too much in front of the TV. I think her message is great, to get out and get moving and make healthy choices.

You supported a similar challenge in 2006, right, which encouraged kids to exercise and eat right?
Actually, we’ve been involved with it ever since Rick was governor. He had the Texas Roundup, which was about getting Texas fit and healthy. So yes, we’re very much about healthy lifestyles and making healthy choices.

You and your husband are very busy campaigning now. What part of private life do you miss most, and what do you think you’ll miss even more as you get deeper into this?
It’s harder to keep up with my friends, to be involved in their daily lives. You really have to make an effort, and I’m making that effort and my friends are too.

Do you differ from your husband on any political issues?
No. I can’t think of any that I do.

What do you fight about?
Oh goodness, we have a perfect marriage. We never fight. [laughs]

Your nose is getting longer.
I’ll be honest with you, we really don’t fight. We may have a disagreement. The last disagreement we had was my daughter has a black lab that’s living with us, and Rick runs her. He runs her too hard, and she comes in and her hips hurt. It’s just silly things like that. We have so many more important things that we need to focus on right now instead of arguing or fighting.

Would you count yourself as one of your husband’s advisors?
I like to think that he listens to me. I’m not an official advisor. He’s got great people and much smarter people than me around him. But I think he trusts me, and he trusts my instincts. He thinks I’m very intuitive.

Would you ever run for office?
Actually, I was on the school board. I was elected to the school board in our little county, so I guess I’ve run for office and I won.

Did you like that?
I loved it. I was the only female on the board.

Would you call yourself a feminist?
I certainly advocate for women’s rights, and I love strong women, smart women, and women that speak out about issues they’re passionate about.

Why wouldn’t you call yourself a feminist?
I don’t think I’m a feminist in the radical term of a feminist, but—

Whatever that means.
Yes, whatever that means.

Do you have a favorite First Lady?
Oh my gosh. There are so many wonderful First Ladies. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Barbara Bush. She’s so funny and kind, and she makes you feel comfortable in whatever situation. And she’s been in public service for so long. I would have to say that she’s my favorite First Lady.

Have you asked her for advice?
[laughs] Not specifically, but if she has any for me, I would love to hear it.

Have you gotten advice from anybody?
I get advice all the time about how to wear my hair and what color lipstick to wear and what color clothes to wear. And if my feet hurt, don’t show it.

Who tells you that?
My friends and other people that I meet.

I know you’re both really focused on his campaign, but if you were at home and could order in or go out for ice cream or do whatever you want, what would you do? What’s the thing you really miss that you can’t do because you’re going 24/7 on this?
Really, there’s nothing that we don’t do. I still run my errands. We still go get [frozen] yogurt. We still eat out with friends, maybe not as often, but we’re normal. We’re normal people, and we keep up those activities.

I asked your husband, “It’s Sunday morning when Parade comes out. People are going to read it. What would you be doing on Sunday morning if you weren’t running for President?” What about you, Mrs. Perry?
Get up and have my cup of coffee, put the dogs out, and go to church.


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