Fans Criticize Jed Duggar's Political Bid: "He's Woefully Unprepared"

In case you weren't already in the know, the Duggar family has a long history in politics. I won't rehash everything just yet, but Jim Bob Duggar served in the Arkansas House of Representatives for a few years, later losing two senate races. Now it appears one of his children is giving the whole politics thing another shot, as Jed Duggar has launched a political campaign in Arkansas. Needless to say, fans are a bit skeptical about the 20-year-old's bid.

A few weeks ago, Jed mysteriously created an Instagram account. I say mysteriously because it's rare to see an unmarried or single Duggar on social media, leading some to assume a courtship announcement was in the works. Well, it looks like those fans guessed incorrectly because it appears Jed launched the account in preparation for his political bid.

"I’m announcing my candidacy for Arkansas State Representative District 89 in Springdale," he captioned a shot of himself shared Sunday. "I’d appreciate your prayers, support and your vote!"

Jed then listed off his qualities and goals, writing, "I’m a Conservative. Pro-Life. Pro Second Amendment. Pro Religious Liberty. Combat the Opioid Crisis. Lower Taxes. More Jobs & Growth. Strong Economy."

Lastly, he directed supporters to his campaign website and noted Election Day is Nov. 3, 2020.

Now what's interesting here is Jed doesn't seem to have any actual qualifications to be a member of the House, at least in comparison to his opponent, Democrat Megan Godfrey. Godfrey "graduated from the University of Arkansas with a B.A. in Spanish," according to her bio on Ballotpedia. "She went on to graduate from Loyola Marymount University with an M.A. in elementary education, and she is in the curriculum and instruction Ph.D. program at the University of Arkansas. Godfrey is the Co-Director of English Language Learning for Fayetteville Public Schools."

Furthermore, Godfrey helped draft legislation that allows Dreamers to take their NCLEX nursing licensing exam, according to Glamour. Prior to the bill, Dreamers in Arkansas were banned from taking the exam, meaning affected constituents had to go out of state to take the test and therefore weren't qualified to work in Arkansas.

Godfrey has a ton of other accomplishments to her name, which you can check out on her campaign website.

Circling back to Jed's campaign, his bio states:

Jed Duggar was born and raised in Northwest Arkansas and is the owner of Champion Motorcars in Springdale. The 10th of 19 biological children, he was most recently the campaign manager for Senator Bob Ballinger’s successful 2018 State Senate bid. Prior to that, Jed served as a legislative assistant at the Arkansas State Capitol during the 2017 legislation session.

This is the first time I've ever heard of Jed owning a car business, but many of the Duggar siblings tend to have a long list of odd jobs. Either way, it's clear many fans aren't onboard with Jed's political ambitions.

"Religious liberty so long as that religion is some kind of Christianity," one person wrote on Reddit.

Someone else complained: "He probably thought if Trump can be elected with no experience and reality TV fame then why can’t he?"

"Ben Wyatt voice 'Jed Duggar has never had a real job in his LIFE,'" a Parks & Recreation fan penned.

"He is woefully unprepared to do any of these things," one commenter added.

And one Instagram user took Jed to task with a series of legitimate questions, writing, "What are the opportunities do you currently see in District 89's economy? When was a time that you have shown to compromise with others who do not see your our own point of view? Can describe a time where you actively went out to connect with others who didn't have the same political standings as yourself, in what ways did these interactions help you grow as a person?"

Honestly, I find Jed's campaign pretty frustrating. What mostly sticks out is how he seemingly doesn't have any actual plans to make his district a better place. It appears his campaign website simply rehashes conservative talking points, and I'm not sure one political internship in 2017 qualifies someone to run for office.

That all being said, Jed has the legal right to run for a seat in the House of Representatives and it will be interesting to see how all of this plays out.