BATON ROUGE, La. — A nephew of “Duck Dynasty’s” Phil Robertson says he is running for the Louisiana congressional seat held by Vance McAllister, who was elected with the TV family’s support and later was wrapped up in scandal when video surfaced showing him kissing a married staffer.

Zach Dasher, a 36-year-old Republican who has never run for office, said in a statement Monday announcing his candidacy for the Nov. 4 election that he opposed the federal health overhaul and abortion and supports a constitutional amendment requiring that Congress balance the budget.

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Zach Dasher, 36, is a nephew of “Duck Dynasty” stars Phil and Silas Robertson.

“I got to looking around at the problems in politics today, and what I see in Washington, D.C., is no God. There is no God. The elite political class thinks they can be running our lives,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

“I think there’s a vacuum in D.C. of people who understand where rights come from. Rights don’t come from men. They come from God.”

McAllister initially said he would not seek re-election after the security video became public in April, but he’s been less definitive recently, saying he’ll make a decision by the August candidate sign-up period.

Dasher said his decision wasn’t influenced by what happened with McAllister. He said he met with his extended family, including the stars of the A&E show, at cousin Al Robertson’s home to discuss the congressional race. Dasher’s mom is the sister of Phil and Silas “Uncle Si” Robertson.

Dasher said he’s worked in the pharmaceutical industry and in real estate. He said he’s taken an unpaid leave of absence from the biotech company where he worked to campaign for the 5th District seat.

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