Jim Bob Duggar, 56, lost in the race for the Republican nomination for a special election for a state senate seat in Arkansas on Wednesday December 15. The 19 Kids and Counting star’s defeat comes just six days after his son Josh, 33, was found guilty on child pornography charges in Fayetteville, Arkansas on December 9. Jim Bob lost to former city councilor Colby Fulfer.
Jim Bob was one of four Republicans running for the nomination. He received the third most votes in the landslide defeat. Colby received about 47 percent of the votes. Steve Unger came in second with about 32 percent of the votes, and only 15 percent of voters cast their ballots for Jim Bob. The only candidate that Jim Bob beat was Edge Nowlin, who only gained 6 percent of the votes.
Josh was found guilty on two charges for receiving and possessing child pornography on December 9. He faces up to 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine on each count. While a sentencing date is still to come, Arkansas based attorney Bobby Digby told HollywoodLife that the 40 years in prison would likely be served at the same time. “Anything is possible, but typically they’d be concurrent sentences, which would mean he’s looking at up to 20 years,” he explained.
After Josh was found guilty, Jim Bob and his wife Michelle released a statement, saying that they were praying for their son, but also victims of child sexual abuse. “This entire ordeal has been very grievous. Today, God’s grace, through the love and prayers of so many, has sustained us. Our hearts and prayers are with anyone who has ever been harmed through CSAM [Child Sexual Abuse Material],” the pair said in a statement to E! News. “As parents, we will never stop praying for Joshua, and loving him, as we do all of our children. In each of life’s circumstances, we place our trust in God. He is our source of strength and refuge. Thank you for your prayers.”
This was the second time that Jim Bob ran for the Arkansas State Senate. His first campaign was in 2006, but he lost to Bill Pritchard. Prior to his runs for state senate, he had been a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003. In 2002, he ran to be the Republican nominee in the Arkansas election for the U.S. Senate, but he lost to Tim Hutchinson.
