What do you do when your family’s cash cow has died out because one of your kids molested a bunch of your other kids, and the only reason you’re in the news these days is because that same kid is facing trial on charges of receiving and possessing illicit images of child sexual abuse?
If you’re a Republican, the answer is simple: Run for office.
Jim Bob Duggar, the patriarch of the infamous Christian “quiverful” family, announced yesterday that he would be running for Arkansas State Senate next year:
“I am honored to announce my candidacy for Arkansas State Senate District 7. Northwest Arkansas is my lifelong home. It’s where my wife Michelle and I have raised our 20 children. It’s where we’ve grown our small businesses. It’s where we’ve built a life centered around our faith, family, and friends. Our family has been blessed by God in so many ways. We’ve found His love and goodness to be our source of strength in both our most joyous occasions and our darkest moments. It’s important to us to give back and to help others in every way we can.
I’m running for State Senate because these are unprecedented times in our nation. Out-of-control bureaucrats have put politics over common-sense policy with government mandates that force people to choose between earning a paycheck and violating their personal rights and beliefs. The foundational principles that have made our nation great are under threat like never before.
Now more than ever, we need a bold voice that is pro-family, pro-business, pro-gun and pro-life. It’s time for conservatives to demand courageous leadership that puts Arkansas families, jobs, and our constitutional liberties first. I look forward to being your voice in the Arkansas State Senate.”
Arkansas is a state that’s overwhelmingly Republican. The “out-of-control bureaucrats,” then, would be people… just like him? It’s a weird way to announce a campaign.
Duggar has experience in office, though. He served in the Arkansas House from 1999 to 2003, before giving up that seat to run for U.S. Senate, where he was resoundingly defeated in the GOP primary. In 2006, he ran for State Senate, but lost in that Republican primary by a very slim margin. (That particular seat is currently held by fellow Christian zealot Jason Rapert.)
Separate from all that, Jed Duggar (one of Jim Bob’s sons who’s not Josh Duggar) ran and lost his own race for Arkansas State House last year.
So why is Jim Bob making the announcement now? The current Republican in that seat, State Sen. Lance Eads, resigned on Thursday to take a job as a lobbyist, because of course he did. A special election will soon be held to complete his term, which goes through 2023. Duggar is the only person to announce his candidacy so far, but it’s possible another Republican could jump in and beat him. It’s happened before. Otherwise, this is a safely red seat.
Here’s something else to keep in mind: Arkansas is on the verge of being led by former Trump propaganda minister Sarah Huckabee Sanders (who’s running for governor) and Rapert (who’s running for lieutenant governor). Everything in that state is about to get even worse. So naturally, a Duggar wants in on all the fun.
Should be interesting to see the campaign, though. Even when you’re a Republican, it’s gotta be hard to run on a platform of family values when the only thing your family is known for these days is harboring a child molester who’s currently on trial for an entirely different crime involving children.
Duggar can’t even protect the world from his own damn family.
Why would anyone trust him to make decisions on behalf of theirs?
(Screenshot via YouTube)
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