Duck Dynasty Brother Willie Robertson Endorses Candidate in Republican Special Election
"Duck Dynasty" cast member, Willie Robertson, has endorsed an underdog in a Louisiana special congressional election on Saturday.
In a 15-second ad released on Wednesday, Willie Robertson cast his support for businessman Vance McAllister (R) who faces frontrunner and party supported Sen. Neil Riser (R) in a race to claim the vacancy, a seat that was formerly held by representative Rodney Alexander.
McAllister, who owns a pipeline construction company and owns several fast-food franchises, made the decision to jump into the race in a last minute decision. To qualify for the run-off, he beat out 12 other candidates and ultimately finished with 18 percent of the vote, compared with Riser's 32 percent.
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Robertson's endorsement did not come as a surprise, as his family has appeared at several fundraisers for the candidate, according to Roll Call.
McAllister faces an uphill battle to Congress and has been criticized by some for not calling for a repeal to the Affordable Care Act.
"I think we're honestly past that," McAllister told The Town Talk of Alexandria, La, earlier this month. "So if we know we have to live with it, let's make it livable. Find the things that don't work and fix them."
McAllister's biggest challenge, though, may be matching his opponent monetarily. Riser raised $516,000 in the primary and had $210,000 in cash at the end of the pre-primary period.
The majority of McAllister's campaign has been self-funded; of his $245,000 in total funds, he has only raised $10,000 outside of his own contributions.
"A four-week runoff is very intense," McAllister adviser Josh Robinson told Roll Call. "You could argue whether [Riser] had a head start on things. He's a little more organized than we are. But we feel good about our chances. If we took six weeks to come from last place on top of 12 other candidates, we feel good about what we can do in four."
