Phil Robertson is campaigning, not for himself, but for kin.
Robertson’s nephew, Zach Dasher, is running to unseat Republican Representative Vance McAllister from Louisiana’s Fifth Congressional District. This is significant because Phil supported McAllister last time he ran.
If the name “Vance McAllister” sounds familiar, that’s probably because McAllister has earned himself a nickname since he took office: The Kissing Congressman. McAllister landed in hot water when a video surfaced of him kissing a staffer, a married woman.
McAllister asked for forgiveness and privacy to help his family get through the scandal. In a statement, he said:
“There’s no doubt I’ve fallen short and I’m asking for forgiveness. I’m asking for forgiveness from God, my wife, my kids, my staff, and my constituents who elected me to serve.
“Trust is something I know has to be earned whether you’re a husband, a father, or a congressman. I promise to do everything I can to earn back the trust of everyone I’ve disappointed.
“From day one, I’ve always tried to be an honest man. I ran for Congress to make a difference and not to just be another politician. I don’t want to make a political statement on this. I would just simply like to say that I’m very sorry for what I’ve done.
“While I realize I serve the public, I would appreciate the privacy given to my children as we get through this.”
McAllister’s own wife Kelly has stood by her man, even cutting a campaign commercial for him in which she says, “I’m blessed to have a husband that owns up to his mistakes, never gives up, always fighting for the good people of Louisiana.”
Phil Robertson, it would seem, is not as forgiving.
“The last dude last year fed us a lie. I don’t even know the dude,” Robertson said at a fundraiser for his nephew. “Two months in he’s messing with some chick.”
McAllister fired back.
“I am disappointed that Phil is speaking against the words that he writes about, like forgiveness, when we’re all sinners,” he said. “What Phil and I have in common is we believe in the same Lord, and that’s the God of second chances.”
Now Robertson is cutting campaign commercials for Dasher. In them, he assures the people of Louisiana’s Fifth Congressional District that his nephew’s heart is in the right place. Holding a bible and a rifle, he proclaims:
“Hey Louisiana, bibles and guns brought us here, and bibles and guns will keep us here; Zach Dasher believes in both.”
In another commercial spot, the Duck Commander went further to highlight the contrast between Dasher and The Kissing Congressman. This time, he assures Louisiana, he and Miss Kay have “vetted” their pick.
“He loves his family; he’s got a servant’s heart; he knows his bible; he is a good man.”