'19 Kids and Counting' father running for Arkansas Senate

Jim Bob Duggar, whose large family was featured in the TLC reality show “19 Kids and Counting,” has announced he’s running for a seat in the Arkansas Senate

SPRINGDALE, Ark. -- Jim Bob Duggar, whose large family was featured in the TLC reality show “19 Kids and Counting," has announced he's running for a seat in the Arkansas Senate.

Duggar, who previously served in the Arkansas House, announced Friday on the family's Facebook page that he's running for the district in northwest Arkansas that includes Springdale.

Last week, Republican state Sen. Lance Eads resigned the seat to take a job in the private sector. A special election will be called to fill the term.

TLC pulled “19 Kids and Counting” in 2015 over revelations that Duggar's son, Josh, had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter. His parents said he confessed to the fondling and apologized. Josh Duggar has also apologized for his pornography addiction and for cheating on his wife.