Thursday, March 8, 2018

Arie Luyendyk Jr: Banned From Minnesota?

Though it came as no surprise to those who follow The Bachelor Spoilers, the world over was shocked when Arie Luyendyk Jr. dumped Becca Kufrin..


Among the fans recoiling in horror at that unedited video of the brutal breakup was Minnesota State Representative who was horrified on Becca’s behalf.


And now he’s drafted a bill to ban Arie from the state of Minnesota. Yes, really.



It seems like, following that finale, everyone hates Arie Luyendyk Jr.


Sure, his ex Emily Maynard says that she feels sorry for him, but to most members of the Bachelor Nation, it sounds like Paradise Dean Unglert is looking pretty good right about now.


Arie’s defenders, like Lauren Burnham, say that Arie just followed his heart.


No offense to Lauren, because absolutely none of this is her fault, but … it is not surprising to hear her take that stance.


But even Chris Harrison calls B.S. on Arie having filmed his breakup to “help” Becca.


One politician’s opinion of Arie could potentially impact his future travel plans.




Rep. Drew Christensen


Drew Christensen is a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives.


He is a 24-year-old Republican who represents district 56A. He holds a degree in Political Science, and was sworn in as a Representative on January 6th, 2015.


Look at this actual list of his committee assignments for the state’s 89th legislative session:


-Aging and Long-Term Care Policy


-Education Finance


-Education Innovation Policy


-Higher Education Policy and Finance


-Ban Arie Luyendyk Jr. from Minnesota


One of those things is not like the other.



This started when, in the aftermath of The Bachelor‘s season finale, Representative Christensen offered to author a bill to ban Arie from the state.


His price? A mere 1,000 retweets. On Twitter, that’s a pittance.


That tweet now has over 12,000 retweets (and well over 20,000 favorites).


Some politicians don’t hesitate to back down from their policies, but Christensen, it seems, is a man of his word.


“Drafting the bill now!” He tweeted. “Should I invite Becca to be my guest at Minnesota’s State of the State Address next week?”


Take a look:




Bill to Ban Arie Luyendyk Jr


The text of that reads:


“The state of Minnesota hereby adopts a policy of zero tolerance of Arie Luyendyk, Jr. from season 22 of The Bachelor.


That is … one hell of a statement.


“It is state policy that every person in the state has a right to live free from the presence of Arie Luyendyk, Jr. in the state.”


To those wondering why Christensen in particular authored the bill and what the state of Minnesota has to do with Arie, Becca Kufrin is from Minnesota.


In fact, Becca is from Prior Lake, which is represented by Christensen.



Christensen has also offered to extend Becca an invitation to Minnesota’s State of the State address by Gov. Mark Dayton.


If, however, he receives 10,000 retweets — as of Thursday afternoon, he has yet to achieve that milestone.


He was married in January, so we think that this is more of a political stunt than an effort to become Becca’s rebound.


Will Christensen’s bill pass? Sometimes, it is hard to tell with state legislatures.


Most likely, it will not.



All jokes about whether or not Arie would be interested in going to Minnesota in the first place aside (seriously, you guys, be nice — there are lovely people and majestic views in every single state), this is mostly just a strange story.


Christensen may be trying to increase his name recognition, which can be vital to longevity in a political career.


A lot of Republicans are facing tough races because their brands are so tied to Trump. It’s smart for any politician to widen their appeal, especially to something as (mostly) apolitical as The Bachelor.


Besides, it’s funny. Sometimes, things are just funny.



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