Jim Bob Duggar called a liar and loses Senate election
Tuesday night Jim Bob Duggar lost the special primary election in Arkansas. Colby Fulfer won the Republican nomination; Fulfer is a former city councilor.
Despite his confidence, he could win this election, Jim Bob Duggar only drew approximately 15% of the vote in the election. Colby Fulfer won more than 46% of the vote for the state Senate seat.
Photo: screenshot, Facebook
On Tuesday night, Jim Bob released a statement on his campaign Facebook page after the unofficial results came in. Duggar acknowledged the problematic time his family has been going through, writing, "It has been a difficult season for our family, so I am particularly grateful to those of you who have offered your prayers and encouragement."
Jim Bob also expressed his love of Northwest Arkansas and the United States, promising his supporters, "I will always do all I can to help advance conservative candidates and causes."
Photo: Jim Bob Duggar for Arkansas-Facebook
Fans of '19 Kids and Counting' were shocked when Jim Bob announced he would be running in the special election several months ago.
Photo: Twitter@jimbobforar
Duggar's oldest son Josh Duggar had recently been arrested and awaiting trial for horrendous charges, so it didn't seem wise to get into politics.
The patriarch of the Duggar family decided to continue with the race even after Josh was found guilty, which shows the man has plenty of self-confidence.
Jim Bob has publicly supported Josh for years even though the Duggar's eldest child has been involved in scandal after scandal....including the sexual assault of his younger sisters.
Duggar's main platform for his campaign was his anti-abortion and anti-vaccine mandate. Jim Bob Duggar said, “I'm running for State Senate because these are unprecedented times in our nation."
Photo: Twitter@jimbobforar
Duggar continued, "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."
According to Radaronline, Duggar dropped a significant chunk of change on his political campaign. The media outlet reported that Jim Bob spent $37,631 on his campaign for Arkansas state Senate from October 1 until December 6.
In fact, according to Radaronline, Duggar spent more than any other candidate on his campaign. This indicates that he genuinely believed he could win the race despite Josh's issues.
Photo: Jim Bob Duggar for Arkansas-Facebook
For years Jim Bob Duggar and Jim Holt were best friends, as they ran in the same circle and had similar religious and political beliefs. Pictured: Jim Holt and wife Bobye.
Photo: Bobye Holt Facebook
Duggar's son Josh was even engaged to Holt's daughter at one point; however, due to Josh's "misbehavior," the engagement was called off.
Photo: screenshot of Josh from '19 Kids and Counting'
Bobye Holt, Jim's wife, testified against Josh at his trial regarding his abuse of his younger sisters as a teenager. Abuse which Jim Bob Duggar claimed he "could not recall" when asked about it during the pretrial proceeding by the judge.
Photo: Bobye Holt Facebook
Jim Holt called Jim Bob a liar in a damaging post he shared on his Facebook page shortly before election day. Holt wrote, "If he lied to his BEST FRIEND and he lied UNDER OATH, will he lie to YOU?"
Picture: Screenshot Jim Holt Facebook
In addition to Jim Holt questioning Jim Bob Duggar's credibility in a very public manner, news about Duggar's oldest daughter facing criminal charges also came out shortly before election day.
Photo: Instagram@janamduggar
According to various media outlets, Jana Duggar has been charged with child endangerment. According to her sister Jessa Seewald, who wrote about the incident on her Instagram account, a child escaped from home while under Jana's care.
Photo: Instagram@janamduggar
Jessa played down the incident and said that she trusts Jana with her children and the incident could happen to anyone. However, Jana must go to court in January due to the charges, and if found guilty, she could be fined or even have to do time in jail.
Photo: Instagram@jessaseewald