'19 Kids and Counting' star Jim Bob Duggar announces run for Arkansas State Senate on 'pro-business, pro-gun, and pro-life' ticket

• Jim Bob Duggar, the star of "19 Kids and Counting," says he is running for Arkansas State Senate.
• Duggar said in a statement posted on Friday that he's pro-life, pro-gun, and pro-business.

Jim Bob Duggar, the star of the TLC show "19 Kids and Counting," says he is running for a seat in the Arkansas State Senate.

"These are unprecedented times in our nation," Duggar, who is now a real estate investor, said in a statement posted Friday to the Duggar family's Facebook page.

"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."

Duggar, a Baptist Christian who served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002 before turning to reality TV, went on to say that he was anti-abortion and would defend gun rights.

He said: "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."

The hit show "19 Kids and Counting" began airing in 2008 and was cancelled in 2015 after his eldest son, Josh Duggar, was accused of sexually assaulting five young girls when he was a teenager.

"Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends," Josh Duggar wrote in a statement posted to Facebook at the time.

Duggar's announcement for his State Senate run comes as Josh Duggar is preparing to go on trial over child pornography charges.

If he is found guilty, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

FBI agents said Duggar possessed 65 images of child pornography, as Insider previously reported. Duggar pleaded not guilty and his trial will start on November 30.

A spin-off show about the Duggar family called "Counting On" was cancelled by TLC in July 2020 after 11 seasons.

The Duggar family has also faced a number of other scandals over the years.

It was revealed in 2015 that Josh Duggar, who is married, was a user on the notorious cheating website Ashley Madison.

Derick Dillard, the husband of Jill Duggar, was criticized after posting homophobic and transphobic tweets in 2017.