Zach Dasher, nephew of Phil Robertson of 'Duck Dynasty', running for Louisiana congressional seat

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A relative of "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson may end up on Capitol Hill come this November. Zach Dasher, Robertson's nephew, announced Monday that he will run for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District.

Dasher, 36, works in the private sector in Calhoun, and has never run for political office. He told reporters that it was high time that he step up to make a change.

"It is time for ordinary citizens to get off of the sidelines and get involved in the political system," Dasher told KALB-TV.

"For too long, we've set idly by while Washington politicians slowly gain control over every aspect of our lives. I am seeking to represent the people of the 5th District in Congress so that I can effectively fight the big government intellectual elitists in Washington."

Dasher also derided the increasing separation of United States politics from God.

"What I see in Washington, D.C., is no God," he told the Associated Press. "There is no God. The elite political class thinks they can be running our lives.

"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."

Current 5th District Congressman Vance McAllister announced he would not seek re-election, then stated that he would decide by August. McAllister was caught on camera in April kissing a married staffer. The congressman has been married to his wife, Kelly, for 16 years.

Dasher and his wife, Jill, have been married for 13 years and have four children. He said the decision to run for Congress was a family decision.

"We got our bellies full and then we sat around in a big circle and then we prayed," he told AP. "We prayed about this candidacy that this would be something real. And the family was really excited."

Phil and Silas "Uncle Si" Robertson are Dasher's maternal uncles. The Robertson family, including Phil's children and grandchildren, star on the hit A&E reality show "Duck Dynasty."