Former state superintendent’s candidate Branden Durst has taken a job with a conservative Christian lobbying group.
Durst will join the Idaho Family Policy Center as senior public policy fellow.
“An ordained pastor and member of Cloverdale Church of God, Branden cares deeply about promoting biblical values in government and culture,” center president Blaine Conzatti wrote in a Thursday blog post announcing the hire.
The Idaho Family Policy Center is a nonprofit that describes itself as “the premier conservative Christian policy research and educational organization in the state.” The group pushed three major pieces of legislation during the 2022 legislative session, Kelcie Moseley-Morris of the Idaho Capital Sun reported in April. One bill would have left librarians open to criminal charges if they disseminated obscene materials; this bill passed the House but did not get a Senate hearing.
In a tweet Thursday, Moseley-Morris reported that Durst has taken a paid, part-time position.
Durst, a Republican, finished second in the three-person May primary for state superintendent. The former Democratic legislator received 34% of the vote, trailing former State Board of Education President Debbie Critchfield by 6 percentage points.
