Anne M. Northup (born January 22, 1948) is an American politician who has been a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1997, representing the 3rd District of Kentucky (map), based in Louisville. She was born in Louisville, was educated at Sacred Heart Academy and Saint Mary's College, and was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives before entering the U.S. House. Northup has been closely tied to President George W. Bush almost since the beginning of each politician's career in national politics. In 1996, then-Texas Gov. Bush campaigned in Louisville for then-state Rep. Northup's first congressional campaign, when she narrowly defeated one-term Congressman Mike Ward. In 1999, Northup was one of eight members of Bush's presidential exploratory committee, and since his inauguration, Northup's votes have matched the President's position approximately 95 percent of the time despite representing a district with a considerable Democratic lean. The district had been held by Democrats for all but six of the 38 years before Northup's first win, and Democratic presidential candidates have carried the district in the three elections held since then.
Soon after taking office for the first time, Northup was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee, which gave her a leg up on delivering federal money to her district.
Northup was elected to a fifth term with 60 percent of the vote in 2004, far and away her largest margin of victory ever. She defeated long time Jefferson County Circuit Court Clerk Tony Miller. She had previously faced very tight races, which is not surprising for a Republican representing a Democratic-leaning district.
Her 2006 opponent is John Yarmuth, former publisher and editorialist of the Louisville Eccentric Observer (an alternative weekly).
