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    How Loretta Lynn, country music and a rural Republican tide changed U.S. politics

    by Ron Elving Oct 08, 2022 6 minutes
    Loretta Lynn campaigned for both Bush presidents. She's shown here with President George W. Bush in 2000 in Little Rock, Ark.

    Millions mourned the passing of country music legend Loretta Lynn, who died at the age of 90 on Tuesday, with obituaries and tributes recalling her songs, her voice, her authenticity and her charm.

    There was relatively little mention of her politics.

    Some stories were written recalling the feminist impact of her 1975 hit "The Pill," and even her earlier standby: "Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)."

    Moviegoers enchanted by actress Sissy Spacek's Oscar-winning portrayal of Lynn in the 1980 film Coal Miner's Daughter could impute to her any political attitudes they liked.

    But Lynn was very much a part of politics at several stages of her career.

    At the peak of her fame in the 1960s and 1970s, Lynn was part of a key change in the politics of country music — a change akin to the shifting partisan leanings of the music's most loyal fans.

    That change made a big difference in American politics when it happened, helping to elect Republican presidents such as Richard Nixon,

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