Jed Duggar, one of the Duggar boys who’s not that one, just announced his candidacy for Arkansas State Representative. The 20-year-old is running on a campaign of being pro-life, pro-gun, and apparently pro-irony.

… I’m a Christian and I will stand up for religious liberties. I’m pro-life, and I will be an advocate for the unborn. And I will always defend our Second Amendment. With your prayer, support, and help, I look forward to serving you as a strong conservative voice in Little Rock.

In short, he’s no different from every other while male Republican who runs for office in the South. What’s interesting is that he plays down the whole connection with his family. Even his campaign website only says he’s the “10th of 19 biological children”… which is an interesting way to avoid dwelling on the only reason anyone might be familiar with his name.

Can’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to be associated with a child molester either. (What’s the campaign slogan? “Don’t Google my family”?)

So why this race? In 2018, a Democrat, Megan Godfrey, won the seat by an extremely narrow margin: 1,859 – 1,830. She’s vulnerable even as an incumbent.

But her résumé is lengthy. She’s earning a Ph.D. She helps run English Language Learning for Fayetteville Public Schools. She passed legislation in a state where Republicans dominate the legislature. She’s been an important voice in Arkansas politics.

Jed Duggar’s main accomplishment appears to be his ability to parrot right-wing talking points by staring into a camera.

It wouldn’t be the family’s first foray into politics. His father, Jim Bob Duggar, was a member of the State House from 1999-2002. In 2014, his mother was the voice of a robocall to rally voters against a local non-discrimination ordinance. I repeat: The mother of Joshua F’ing Duggar said that protecting trans people would enable predatory behavior.

But those family connections don’t mean he’d be a good representative. Voters would theoretically be putting their pensions and health care plans in the hands of someone who can’t even legally drink. Not that age is a concern if we’re talking about someone with serious knowledge of the issues, but Jed Duggar has yet to prove he has a grasp on them.

But he has a shot here. The amount of red in Arkansas can’t be understated. It’s not even close. The State House has 76 Republicans and 24 Democrats. The State Senate has Jason Rapert, who placed a Ten Commandments monument outside the Capitol, lawsuits be damned. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is rumored to be in the running for governor in the near future.

With that much ignorance in one building, Jed Duggar can’t resist the pull to be a voice of conservative Christian conformity. Or maybe he just doesn’t have very many other options.

Consider chipping in to Godfrey’s campaign to help her defend one of the handful of blue seats in her state.

(via Raw Story)

