SPRINGDALE, Ark. — "19 Kids and Counting" star, Jim Bob Duggar, has announced he's running for Arkansas State Senate - District 7.
District 7 includes Springdale, Johnson, Goshen and Elkins in eastern Washington County.
The announcement comes after State Senator Lance Eads resigned from his position Thursday, Oct. 28, to take a job in the private sector.
According to a release on the family's Facebook page, Duggar previously served in the Arkansas House of Representatives for four years (1999-2002).
He was born and raised in Springdale and has worked as a commercial real estate investor.
Duggar released the following statement on Facebook:
“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.”
The news of Duggar's candidacy comes amid a federal child pornography investigation against his son, Josh Duggar.