SPRINGDALE, Ark. (AP) —
A former city councilor won the Republican nomination in a special primary election Tuesday night, beating out candidates that included “19 Kids and Counting” father Jim Bob Duggar.
The poll results show that candidate Colby Fulfer, who is chief of staff for the city of Springdale, won over 46% of the vote. Duggar drew roughly 15% of the vote.
Fulfer was elected to the Springdale City Council in 2016 and served until 2020, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported. He announced his bid for the seat in November.
He and Duggar were among four Republicans seeking their party’s nomination for the state Senate seat, which opened up following the resignation of Republican Sen. Lance Eads.
The election came days after one of Duggar’s sons, Josh, was convicted in federal court of receiving and possessing child pornography.
The elder Duggar previously served one term in the Arkansas House. His large family was featured on TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” reality TV show from 2008 to 2015.
Other GOP candidates included Edge Nowlin, a retired IBM engineer, and Steve Unger, a retired U.S. Navy captain. Two Democrats sought their party’s nomination.