Ben Higgins Confirms Congressional Run in Colorado

Ben Higgins officially wants your vote.

The former Bachelor contestant has made the political rumor into a reality, announcing today that he is running as a Republican in Colorado’s House District 4.

This Denver State House district that is predominantly Democratic and Higgins will be facing off against Democratic Representative Dan Pabon, according to The Associated Press.

Higgins is 28 years old.

He’s best only known for having starred on the latest season of The Bachelor.

We can’t guarantee that Higgins will keep any promises he makes on the campaign trail, but he has thus far kept his vow to marry Lauren Bushnell.

The couple has somehow managed to keep its romance intact, several months after filming concluded.

Some time later this year, Higgins and Bushnell will even star on the very first Bachelor spin-off to track the lives of a pairing that met on the series.

Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After will air on the Freeform network in the fall.

View Slideshow: 13 Hottest Bachelors in ABC History

“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 yesterday.

Higgins had previously said the following to Us Weekly:

“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?

“And one of the first things that came to mind was I’ve always had a large interest in politics.”

Higgins, of course, has no actual experience in politics.

So this all seems pretty crazy, doesn’t it?

Why would anyone vote a reality star into any kind of political office, right?

There’s no way this will work…

View Slideshow: 11 Stars Who Have Run for Political Office

Derick Dillard SLAMMED For Controversial Photo of Baby Israel

These days, it seems hardly a week goes by without the Duggar family being embroiled in some sort of controversy.

Often, the complaints from fans and detractors are legitimate (We won’t even bother to rehash the many ugly chapters of the Josh Duggar sex scandals.), but sometimes they’re classic cases of manufactured Internet outrage.

The latest kerfuffle – having to do with the above photo of baby Israel that was posted by Derick Dillard last night – seems to be somewhere in between, but leans closer to the latter category.

In anticipation of the Oklahoma State University football season (It’s still July, Der! Chill!) Dillard posted the above photo with a caption reading:

“Pistols firing! Only 45 days til some OSU cowboy football starts! Go Pokes!”

Fans saw two causes for complaint, both of which smacked of serious nit-picking.

View Slideshow: Jill Duggar Baby Photos

For one, there was baby Izzy’s hand gesture and Derick’s caption, which some believed to be insensitive in the wake of recent gun violence.

Far be it for us to defend anyone in the Duggar clan (even if they happen to be a Dillard), but Pistol Pete has been the OSU mascot for decades, and it’s not like Derick put an actual gun in the kid’s hand.

The other complaint is almost as baffling, as several fans took issue with the placement of the straps on Israel’s car seat:

“Good god someone please adjust that child’s chest clip. That’s horrific,” wrote one follower, instigating a tense debate about the importance of car seat safety.

The whole thing was reminiscent of the time Jinger Duggar was criticized for failing to properly secure Josh and Anna’s 4-year-old son.

Thankfully, in both cases, someone pointed out that there was no indication that the car was actually in motion at the time the photo was taken.

 

View Slideshow: Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard Photos

Dallas Man Falls Off Waterslide, Lives To Post About It

It"s all fun and games until someone goes off the rails.  Literally.

David Salmon was having a grand old time at a private home outside of Austin, Texas, which boasts a nifty water slide.

Unfortunately, when Salmon took part in one of America"s favorite past times (right up there with homemade fireworks and beers on a boat), he got more than he bargained for.

In the video below, Salmon is seen trying to steer himself down the waterslide with his hand.  

While rounding a corner, Salmon flew right up over the side and landed ten feet down on a rocky hillside.

Salmon was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for a broken arm and broken ribs, along with some serious bruises and scratches.

"I"d gone down a few times [before] and it was fast.  But this time, I just couldn"t slow down," Salmon told Fox 4 Dallas.

"I threw my arm out and went right over the edge," he recalled.

"For a split second I was like, "oh no," and then it was a hard crash.  The rest was all blurry," the 32-year-old said from his bed, eager to stress that while he"s OK, he"s in a lot pain from what he calls a "freak accident."

Salmon, who told the news station that he doesn"t want to be known as "Water Slide Guy," posted the video and a message on Facebook.

"Too dang old to be going down water slides," he wrote.

"Fell off this one that is over a rocky cliff. First time in an ambulance. I"m currently in the hospital in Round Rock. Broke my arm (humerus) and fractured ribs. Multiple lacerations on my back, arms and side.

"Just found out I don"t need surgery so that"s good news! One more night in Austin then I can go home to Dallas."

#‎waterslide‬ ‪#‎fail‬ ‪#‎failvideo‬ ‪#‎brokenarm‬ ‪#‎notdead‬

Meghan McCain: I Cried When Donald Trump Got Nominated!

Meghan McCain rose to national prominence back in 2008 when her father, longtime Arizona senator John McCain, faced off with Barack Obama as the GOP’s presidential nominee.

Obviously, Senator McCain lost the election, but his daughter has held her place in the national spotlight as an analyst for Fox News.

And unlike some scions of well-known political figures (We’re looking at you, Bristol Palin!) Meghan has earned the respect of those in her party with her impassioned, articulate defenses of old school fiscal conservatism, as well as her more moderate stances on social issues.

So obviously, given her alignment, Meghan is no fan of the GOP’s current nominee, Donald Trump, who has next to nothing in common with traditional conservatives or moderates of any stripe.

In fact, just hours before Trump took the stage at the RNC to accept his party’s nomination last night, McCain blasted the candidate in a candid interview with People magazine.

“It’s really hard,” said the 31-year-old when asked about Trump’s stunning ascendance. 

“I understand the voters have spoken. I understand that he’s had more votes than any other candidate – but this is an incredibly polarizing election. 60 percent of Republicans want another candidate. This is not the vision for America I have.” 

She added that she openly wept when the real estate mogul clinched the nomination.

Of course, her feelings may have something to do with the fact that Trump blasted her father early in his campaign, claiming that the former POW was “not a war hero” because he was captured.

So will Meghan’s distaste for Trump lead her to pull the lever for Hillary Clinton in November?

Don’t count on it:

“This is a garbage election with two garbage candidates and America deserves a lot better than this,” McCain told People.

But Meghan won’t be joining Ted Cruz and many other GOP faithful who will exercise their right to simply stay home this Election Day. 

“I’m writing in a candidate,” she said.

We’re guessing she won’t be alone.

View Slideshow: Donald Trump RNC Speech: What Did He Say?