David Quiroa Sr., 47, and his son, David Quiroa Jr., 22, are running against each other for state House seat in Rhode Island, The Associated Press reported.
Quiroa Sr. will run as a Republican and Quiroa Jr. filed to run as an independent, with both aiming to unseat state Rep. Marvin Abney, a Democrat, the report said.
The pair said that they have frequently discussed politics since Quiroa Jr., the oldest of five children, was little.
Quiroa Sr. said he and his wife are “all the way for (President Donald) Trump,” but the rest of the family are “not happy.”
“What better way to argue with my father than on the political level?” Quiroa Jr. told the AP. “He definitely is a very good motivator. Even if it’s to motivate to stop him,” Quiroa Jr. said.
“He thought I was kidding initially. He thought it was an empty threat. When he said he was going to go, I said I was going to go,” Quiroa Jr. said.
The father and son arrived at city hall together to file paperwork to run for office, the AP report said.
“We definitely had a lot of surprised faces. Everyone was smiling and laughing and saying, ‘Oh, that’s so funny,’” Quiroa Jr. said.
Quiroa Sr. said it would be great if his son defeats him. Quiroa Jr. said he was unsure who his mother would vote for.
“I would say maybe my father, but at this point since I’m in the mix, I don’t know… She could surprise us all and vote for Abney,” Quiroa Jr. said.
The father unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2004, and Quiroa Jr., then 8, often accompanied him during the campaign, NewportRI.com reported.
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