Launching a campaign for elected office is always a risky endeavor.
And we suppose that's doubly true when you toss your hat into the ring just weeks before your son is scheduled to stand trial on child pornography charges!
Yes, these are heady times in the life of Jim Bob Duggar, as the father of 19 is re-entering the political arena just as the whole world gears up to watch his son get sentenced to 20 years in prison.
It seems like the sort of thing only a completely unhinged sociopath should do, which is why we really shouldn't be the least bit surprised this is happening.
As we reported earlier this month, Jim Bob is running for a seat in the Arkansas State Senate.
He served one term in the state house of representatives back in 1999 before leaving to run for US Senate and getting absolutely trounced in the Republican primary.
Sources in northwest Arkansas say Jim Bob is hated by his own neighbors, and it seems he wasn't a terribly popular figure during his initial foray into politics.
(And that was before his family got caught up in a bunch of weird sex scandals.)
So the annoucement of his state senate campaign really serves as a reminder of just how delusional and out of touch the guy really is.
This strange confluence of events has led to a situation in which Jim Bob and Josh will occasionally both make headlines on the same day, but for very different reasons.
Today for example, we learned that Josh's lawyers are fighting to ensure that his past molestation of his own sisters won't be used against him in his upcoming trial.
(Thankfully, it looks as though that motion will be denied.)
And elsewhere in Arkansas, Jim Bob unveiled his first campaign billboard!
Yes, in case you needed visual confirmation that JB is really doing this, here it is!
The pic was shared today on the Instagram page of YouTuber Katie Joy.
We've known for over a decade that Jim Bob is greedy and power-hungry above all else, so ordinarily, the news that he's jumping back into politics following the long overdue cancellation of Counting On wouldn't come as a shock.
But now?! With his family making daily tabloid headlines for all the wrong reasons?!
Yes, Jim Bob is really making a go of it, and if his campaign announcement (in full below) is any indication, it seems he's planning to avoid mentioning his family's latest scandal whenever possible:
“We are excited to share this big announcement with you! Thank you in advance for your prayers and support!
“Jim Bob Duggar announces he will be a candidate for Arkansas State Senate District 7, which includes Springdale, Johnson, Goshen and Elkins in eastern Washington County. Jim Bob previously served in the Arkansas House of Representatives for four years (1999-2002).
“Jim Bob was born and raised in Springdale, attended Springdale Public Schools and graduated from Shiloh Christian High School.
"At 18 Jim Bob acquired his real estate license and went on to become a successful commercial real estate investor. He married his high school sweetheart Michelle Ruark Duggar 37 years ago and they went on to have 20 children and have been blessed with 22 grandchildren so far.”
Of course, Jim Bob won't be able to avoid mentioning Josh's crimes for the entirety of his campaign.
Eventually one of his opponents will force his hand.
We never thought we'd be looking forward to watching Arkansas State Senate debates on YouTube, but 2021 has been one hell of a bizarre year!
In the meantime, we'll have to content ourselves with rooting for justice to be served when Josh finally goes to trial on November 30.