KENTWOOD, Mich. (AP) — Twin sisters from western Michigan are running for county commissioner seats, but they aren't endorsing one another.

Monica Sparks is running as a Democrat for Kent County's 12th district seat while her Republican sister, Jessica Ann Tyson, hopes to represent the 13th district.

Tyson's decision to run inspired her sister to launch her own campaign.

The sisters say they don't clash on the issues but that they'll remain loyal to their parties and endorse each other's opponents.

They told WXMI-TV that their birth mother was addicted to heroin and they were adopted into a family that taught them to be civically engaged.

When they were kids and even now, the twins say their mother never allowed them to argue about politics. Tyson says that while growing up, they didn't know which parties their parents identified with.

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Information from: WXMI-TV, http://www.wxmi.com

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