Obama: It’s Complicated
Owing mostly to his father, who had children by four women, Obama hasseven living half-siblings (one he had never met died in 1984). He’stight with two of them. The first is Maya Soetoro-Ng, his youngerhalf-sister, the child of Obama’s mother and Lolo Soetoro, herIndonesian second husband. Maya stayed with Obama’s mother after shedivorced Lolo, and she took time off from teaching high school inHonolulu to make appearances at her brother’s campaign stops. Thesecond, Auma Obama, is Obama’s older half-sister, the child of BarackSr. and his first wife in Kenya. Obama and Auma first met when Aumavisited America after their father died in an auto accident in 1982.“I knew at that moment, somehow, that I loved her … Even now I can’texplain it; I only know that the love was true, and still is, and I’mgrateful for it,” Obama wrote in Dreams From My Father. Fourof Obama’s other siblings — Abon’go Malik Obama, George Obama,Auma Obama, and Mark Ndesandjo — have written books about thefamily, some of which take issue with the depiction of Barack ObamaSr. by Barack Jr. and biographers such as David Remnick.
Romney: Youngest of Four
At 64, Romney is no spring chicken, but he’s also no dodderinggrandpa. (See: Favorite Hobby.) But the same might not be said for hissiblings: George Scott, his brother, is six years older than him; JaneLaFount, his sister, is nine years older; and Margo Lynn, the eldestof George and Lenore’s four children, is 12 years older. As a boygrowing up, the age difference meant Romney was the true baby of thefamily, garnering special attention from their father. At least one ofthe other Romney kids tried following their father and mother intopolitics — George Scott made a serious bid for the Michiganattorney general’s office but failed, instead winning a seat on theboard of trustees for Michigan State University. (He was a regionalco-chair for McCain’s campaign in 2008, but it looks like it was withbrother Mitt’s blessing — the two appeared at the opening ofMcCain’s Great Lakes headquarters together.) George Scott’s ex-wife,Ronna Stern, also tried her hand as a Michigan politician, a two-time(failed) senatorial candidate. But there was some bad blood there, somuch so that Romney Senior even endorsed her 1994 primary opponent.Ronna’s sister, however — who lives in Bloomfield Hills, whereRomney grew up — is married to Romney’s 2008 campaign nationalchairman.