President Bush wrapped up a four-hour stop in Omaha Wednesday morning after a visit about health care and some high-powered fund-raising on behalf of U.S. Senate candidate Mike Johanns.

Upon his arrival in Omaha just before 9 a.m., Bush said, "There's no doubt in my mind he'll make a great United States Senator for the state of Nebraska."

Johanns, Nebraska's former governor, served as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under Bush until he resigned in September to run for the Senate.

The president is in Omaha to speak about health care and attend a fundraiser for Johanns.

The president's first stop was a meeting on health care at the OneWorld Community Health Centers, a south Omaha clinic that provides health care, education, screenings and referrals to low-income people. He spent a little more than an hour there.

Following that, Bush moved on to a private fund-raiser at the home of Walter Scott in Omaha.

Tickets for the fundraiser ranged from $1,000 a person to $10,000 for a couple, but Johanns said he didn't know how much would be raised. The campaign announced Monday it had passed the $1 million mark in donations since Johanns entered the race Oct. 10.

"People of Nebraska have gotten to know Mike as a result of his leadership when he was the governor," Bush said. "I got to know Mike as the result of his being a fine leader at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ... He understands the issues that the people who work the soil will face."

And the president said Johanns also understands matters of national security.

"He sat in the Cabinet Room with me and other members of my Cabinet, discussing how best to secure the United States of America from the threats of the world in which we live."

Johanns is one of two Republicans seeking the seat to be vacated by Hagel, a fellow Republican who decided not to seek a third term. Schuyler businessman Pat Flynn is also running, but no Democrats have declared their intentions. Tony Raimondo, CEO of Behlen Manufacturing of Columbus, changed his party registration to Democrat Tuesday in a step toward a possible run for the Democratic nomination.

Speaking at Eppley after Bush's speech, Johanns said he's known Raimondo a long time and was surprised at the move.

"I don't know what he was offered to switch," Johanns said. "Tony is a solid Republican."

Raimondo said Tuesday that the Republican Party left him no choice when it "closed the primary." Johanns' entry quickly soaked up much of the political capital in the race, and two Republicans -- Attorney General Jon Bruning and former Congressman Hal Daub -- dropped out after Johanns made his intentions known.