Ben Higgins, the latest The Bachelor star, is officially running for public office in Colorado.
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Higgins will be facing off against Democrat Dan Pabon, the current Colorado State Representative for District 4, which is predominantly Democratic.
However, Pabon -- who has served as Colorado House speaker pro tempore since January of last year -- pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and was sentenced on Tuesday to one year probation. The turn of events could potentially give Higgins an edge.
"I am definitely not a politician, but I have a lot to offer through my years in the financial service industry and, more importantly, my work in charitable and humanitarian organizations," Higgins said in a statement to The Denver Post on Thursday.
Higgins found fame when he competed for Kaitlyn Bristowe on The Bachelorette and finished in third place. He then got chosen to star on Season 20 The Bachelor, which concluded with him getting engaged to Lauren Bushnell. The couple is now filming a reality series titled Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After for Fall 2016 debut on Freeform network.
"People reach out to me about community development and planning and how to counsel places that need help, which is really cool because it isn't something I necessarily had a platform on before, other than my service, and so through all of that the next question was post-Bachelor, this platform that I now had, what should we do with that?" Higgins previously told Us Weekly.
"And one of the first things that came to mind was I've always had a large interest in politics."
Higgins already has an active campaign website which will allow interested parties to leave their email addresses and receive updates on his political quest.
"Thank you for your support as Ben explores his opportunities to make a positive impact on his local community!" the website reads.
Higgins reportedly joined the political race after small business owner William "Willie" B. Pinkston withdrew his candidacy on July 8. In late May, Pinkston said he'd "step aside" for Higgins if the reality TV star officially decided to run for the Colorado House of Representatives.
"Ben is the only Republican in the district I would step aside for. He's a great guy and likely the only other Republican who can win," Pinkston had told The Denver Post.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
