"19 Kids and Counting" patriarch Jim Bob Duggar is running for Arkansas state Senate

Jim Bob Duggar, the father of the family featured in the reality TV show "19 Kids and Counting," announced on the Duggar family Facebook page Friday that he is running for a seat in the Arkansas Senate. Duggar previously served as a state representative before the start of his family's TLC show.

Duggar said he is running to represent the state's seventh district. 

"Northwest Arkansas is my lifelong home," Duggar said on Facebook. "It's where my wife Michelle and I have raised our 20 children. It's where we've grown our small businesses. It's where we've built a life centered around our faith, family, and friends."