The former '19 Kids and Counting' star is trying his hand at politics.
Jim Bob Duggar is the latest reality star to run for office. The father of 20 announced Friday on his family's Facebook page that he will be campaigning for Arkansas State Senate District 7.
Prior to starring on TLC's 19 Kids and Counting from 2008 to 2015, Jim Bob previously served in the Arkansas House of Representatives for four years, from 1999 to 2002.
"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," Jim Bob said in a statement announcing his candidacy. "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."
The 56-year-old Arkansas native noted that he feels the need to run for office now because "these are unprecedented times in our nation."
"The foundational principles that have made our nation great are under threat like never before," Jim Bob continued. "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."
Jim Bob wouldn't be the first conservative candidate to come from reality TV. Former president Donald Trump was the host of The Celebrity Apprentice and The Apprentice before his four-year term in the White House. More recently, Keeping Up With the Kardashians star Caitlyn Jenner and Steve Lodge, the husband of Real Housewives of Orange County star Vicki Gunvalson, both ran for governor of California in a recall reelection, though Gov. Gavin Newsom remains in office.
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