I had no idea that Obama has family ties to Indiana, going back several generations to the 1840s. (That's way longer than most of my family has been in the US!) Indy Star:
Sen. Barack Obama has some little-known Hoosier roots, according to state historians.
His mother, Ann Dunham, was born in Kansas. But if you go back a few generations, you'll find her family includes Hoosier farmers, doctors and teachers. One of his great-uncles, William Riley Dunham, was even a member of the state legislature. And, yes, he was a Democrat.
Today, Obama highlights the connection in Kempton, Indiana. Ben Smith:
Obama makes a stop this afternoon at a house on land once owned by his "2nd, 3rd and 4th great-grandfathers" on his mother's side, the campaign says.
The house in Kempton, Ind., was built by one of Obama's great-uncles, who was a member of the Indiana legislature -- the campaign notes -- and stayed in the family until the 1970s.
It's some low-hanging fruit, though it would probably have had more impact if the event had been held earlier, like perhaps the day after the PA primary.
© Jed Lewison