Northup's Big Family May Be a Big Bonus in Eastern Kentucky

Appalachian Kentucky is known for many things. Rugged terrain, a feisty population, pragmatism; but another trait common among mountaineers is their fierce commitment to family. In a 1996 article in Family Relations (Journal), experts identified several familial traits that stand out among Appalachian folk:

1. The social ecology of a locale or region is characterized, in part, by the types of family networks that predominate and the diversity among network types.

2. [To a much larger degree than is found in other communities,] Appalachian parents both focus and rely on the family of origin and the extended family network… Rural Appalachian families usually have an expansive kin and community network that provides great strength and resiliency, especially in times of need.

3. Paralleling their reliance on the close kinship group, Appalachians often do not participate in secondary groups such as civic or fraternal organizations or any group not made up substantially of their kin.

This closeness is demonstrated in the mountains in ways practically unheard of in many areas. For example mountain politicians with the largest extended family usually win local elections. This despite the fact that, in many instances, their kin is so distant as to be hard to trace (other than by the family matriarch or patriarch, who, often acting like some sort of clan leader, can be counted on to know their families immediate genealogy intimately).

Often times, families live on the same homestead for multiple generations. Take my father’s family, for instance: for well over a century a band of land running nearly two miles and located in a narrow, winding valley has been home to various offshoots of the Hensley family. Today it’s populated by that family’s descendants- Gay’s and Barnes’s. I can quickly count nearly twenty three separate homes where families are being raised by our family’s kin. Some family members move away, others move back; but the net effect is that the larger estate is continually whittled down and subdivided among the ever growing family.

As in most places, families’ sizes in Appalachian Kentucky are shrinking. My father was one of ten children and while my mother’s family was half that size, her father was one of nine children (all boys, incidentally.) Because mountain families stay close to the land on which they were raised they have longer memories of those who went before them. Unlike family members who’ve moved away, they’ve had years of exposure to stories about this cousin, or that uncle.

The effect of this continual closeness to family narratives is to often make mountain folk quite nostalgic about the past; particularly when it comes to family. If you have any doubts, find a hillbilly who’s moved away and ask him or her if you can accompany them on their next visit home. You’ll find that there’s more food than you can eat, more friendship than you felt possible, and a bunch of eager people anxious to hear about every facet of your friend’s life… despite the fact that they may not have seen your friend since childhood.

This brings me to the Governor’s race: When folks talk about Anne Northup and Eastern Kentucky it’s mostly in the context of her running mate, Jeff Hoover. Of course Hoover was a very wise pick and will definitely help Northup in this mountainous area; but I believe Northup could have significant personal appeal of her own if she’s able to adequately convey her dedication to family while out on the campaign trail.

When most pundits talk about Anne Northup it’s in the context of her successful stint in Congress: a freshman member of the House Appropriations Committee, a passionate and tough conservative, a fierce competitor. To the extent the media mentions her family at all, it’s usually either as a footnote or in the tragic context of the recent death of her adopted son.

But a deeper look at Anne Northup’s life reveals a commitment to family that’s every bit as fierce as her competitive nature. First and foremost is the fact that she’s the mother of six children; two were adopted. Further, Northup herself grew up in a sizable family as one of ten children. She’s also highly engaged in the civic arena in family friendly groups. A few of the family friendly causes Northup has embraced are her local PTA, the DePaul School for dyslexic children, the Kentucky Cancer Commission and UK’s Home Economic Advisory Board.

In Congress, Anne Northup was known as a leader who accomplished things for her district’s families. She worked hard to bring infrastructure projects to her community. She fought for a reading first initiative to be included in the No Child Left Behind Act. And she built up significant bona fides as a compassionate conservative, often helping to steer funds towards local community organizations (many religious) that then provided Louisville poor with a hand up, rather than hand outs.

Republicans often spend a lot of time talking about family values. Usually this is in the context of some defensive legislation that attempts to protect families from one form or another of the counterculture. There’s no doubt that this is important. But in Eastern Kentucky voters think of family values in a much more basic way: how can my family grow and prosper while remaining in my community, near my side? That Anne Northup can answer this difficult question in a very personal way will place her in the good graces of many a mountain voter.

To be sure, there are many differences between the average Eastern Kentucky voter and Anne Northup. And there'll be the tendency on the campaign trail to let Hoover bridge that gap. But there are also some commonalities, including a stronger committment than usual to family.

Northup should take every opportunity to talk about her successful political career. But she shouldn't neglect her personal life story; particularly the family aspects. The more she communicates this facet of her life to Appalachian voters, the better she’ll do.