The Bachelor star Ben Higgins has declared that he is no longer a Republican. Ben was first introduced to the Bachelor Nation fans on The Bachelorette season 11, which was led by Kaitlyn Bristowe. He made it to Final 3 but was ultimately eliminated after the Fantasy Suites episode. Nonetheless, the fans fell in love with Ben, which prompted him to headline his own season of the show a few years later. In 2016, ABC announced that Ben Higgins would be the lead of The Bachelor season 20.
On Ben Higgin's season of The Bachelor, he took Lauren Bushnell and JoJo Fletcher to the end, but ultimately decided to propose to Lauren. Unfortunately, this couple didn't go the distance. Ben became romantically involved with Jessica Clarke in 2018, and they got engaged in 2020. Currently, he lives in Denver, Colorado and co-hosts the Almost Famous podcast with Ashley Iaconetti. Ben is also expected to release a book in 2021, titled Alone in Plain Sight: Searching for Connection When You're Seen but Not Known. As a high-profile reality TV star, Ben often makes headlines for his statements, relationships, and business endeavors.
Ben Higgins has now told his fans that his political views have changed since first appearing on The Bachelor. After he became a reality TV star, Ben tried to run for Congress as a Republican representative. However, he no longer feels like his views align with the GOP. Ben told Insider, "The Republican party looked a lot different back then than it does today. I'm not naive to that. In fact, I'm an unaffiliated voter at this point because I no longer align with the complete Republican agenda, especially when it comes to the way we speak about humans and the way social issues are discussed." It is unclear whether Ben made this decision before or after the 2020 election. With that said, he doesn't seem interested in running for office anytime soon.
A lot of Bachelor Nation contestants spoke out against the storming of the US Capitol in 2021. The series has been criticized in the past for not giving too much airtime to important political conversations. Similarly, Bachelor alumni have gotten flack for not speaking up about certain things to avoid losing followers on social media.
When it comes to politics, this moment is definitely a new dawn for The Bachelor franchise. Ben Higgins is adding his own voice to this political discourse.
The Bachelor season 25 airs Mondays at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC.
Sources: Insider
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