Entertainment

Is Kendra Duggar Conservative? Her Family Has Strong Political Beliefs

by Gillian Walters

About every year or so, a new member joins the Duggar family. Whether a baby is born or someone marries into the family, one thing is for certain: the Duggar brood is always growing. In 2017, the Duggar family added Kendra Duggar to its lengthy roster when she married Joseph Duggar. About two months after the September ceremony, Kendra and Joseph announced that they're expecting their first child, a boy. Amid all the exciting news, Counting On viewers have had a lot of questions about Kendra, especially where it concerns her political beliefs. So, is Kendra Duggar conservative? Her background indicates it's pretty likely.

Nineteen-year-old Kendra grew up in Arkansas with her parents, Paul and Christina Caldwell, and six siblings. Paul has served as the pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church since 2008, according to its website, and he describes himself as having a "burden for the souls in Northwest Arkansas." I'm not well-versed in this type of religious language, but I think Paul believes his purpose in life is to "save" souls or to act as a beacon for people who supposedly need saving. That's just my interpretation, of course.

And as for what souls Paul is targeting, it appears to include members of the LGBTQ community. After Paul's church received backlash for handing out pamphlets claiming that "there are no such things as homosexuals," according to AOL, he had an interesting response to the controversy. Romper reached out to Paul for comment and is awaiting a reply. Paul said, according to Cafe Mom:

Our church loves the LGBT community, hence the reason we have decided since Spring 2014 to reach out to them. This is just another avenue we are trying. To them it is simply a reminder that God loves them, and if I were to truly love them then I must tell them the truth.

So, yeah. I think it's safe to say Paul's views, at least where it concerns the LGBTQ community, are extremely conservative.

Paul is also a former Republican candidate for the Arkansas House of Representatives, according to Ballotpedia. Paul's Twitter, which he hasn't used since September 2016, also states, according to the social media site: "Republican Candidate for Arkansas State Representative District 90, Christian Conservative...Married to Christina, Father."

But what does this have to do with Kendra? It's quite common for people to have different political beliefs than their parents, of course.

In the case of Kendra, however, she has never publicly commented on her family's conservative background or whether she finds some of their views offensive. It's also telling that, not only did Kendra marry into an equally conservative family, but she also maintains ties with Paul's church.

Lastly, it's worth nothing that Kendra rarely speaks out on anything, which makes it somewhat difficult to ascertain where she falls on the political spectrum. Considering Kendra often agrees with everything Joseph and Paul say, it's not far off to can assume she also shares their conservative political beliefs.

And there's a good chance Kendra and Joseph will raise their baby in a conservative and religious household. In February, upon learning the sex of their first baby, Kendra and Joseph released a telling statement about their goals as parents. Kendra and Joseph said in a joint statement, according to Us Weekly:

Wow! We are so happy to learn that our firstborn is a boy! Our minds are already racing toward all the future memories to be made with this little guy! Most of all, we are already asking God to bless him and help us grow him into a loving and faithful follower of Christ!

Yep, I think the takeaway here is that Kendra is going to lead a life that closely mirrors her family's perspective. If that's the case, it's a safe bet to brand Kendra as conservative.

Check out Romper's new video series, Romper's Doula Diaries:

Watch full episodes of Romper's Doula Diaries on Facebook Watch.