Branden John Durst (born January 15, 1980) is a former politician from

Boise Boise ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and nor ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

. Durst represented Idaho's 18th Legislative District in the Idaho House of Representative from 2006 to 2010, and in the

Idaho Senate The Idaho State Senate is the upper chamber of the Idaho Legislature. It consists of 35 senators elected to two-year terms, each representing a district of the state. The Senate meets at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise, Idaho. Composition of th ...

from 2012 to 2013. He was the youngest member of the Idaho Senate.Prentice, George
"Branden Durst 'If you look at the Democratic Senate Caucus, we're stronger than we were before.'"
''

Boise Weekly ''Boise Weekly'' is a newspaper in Boise, Idaho, United States. It was founded in 1992 by Andy and Debi Hedden-Nicely and Larry Regan. It is owned by Adams Publishing Group's Western Division and is part of '' The Idaho Press.'' It is publishe ...

'', January 9, 2013. (accessed 20 August 2013) Durst switched parties in 2016 and registered as a Republican as of November 2020. Durst announced in January 2021 that he would be a Republican candidate for Idaho State Superintendent of Public Instruction. He ultimately placed second in the primary, earning about 34% of the vote (around 90,000 votes).

Personal life

Durst was born in Boise, Idaho in 1980. He grew up in south Ada County and attended public schools and was a third generation graduate of

Boise High School Boise High School is a public secondary school in Boise, Idaho, one of five traditional high schools within the city limits, four of which are in the Boise School District. A three-year comprehensive high school, Boise High is located on the outl ...

. Durst attended

Pacific Lutheran University Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) is a Private university, private Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran university in Parkland, Washington. It was founded by Norwegian Lutheran immigrants in 1890. PLU is sponsored by the 580 congreg ...

(PLU) as undergraduate where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science and a minor in communication. After graduating from PLU, Durst attended graduate school at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

and

Claremont Graduate University The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California, United States. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium which includes five undergraduate and two grad ...

where he studied public policy analysis and

international political economy International political economy (IPE) is the study of how politics shapes the global economy and how the global economy shapes politics. A key focus in IPE is on the power of different actors such as nation states, international organizations and ...

, respectively. He returned to Boise, and subsequently enrolled at

Boise State University Boise State University (BSU) is a Public university, public research university in Boise, Idaho, United States. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has b ...

(BSU) where he earned a Master of Public Administration degree. While enrolled at BSU, Durst earned an academic scholarship from the Department of Public Policy and Administration and a research assistantship from the Department of Economics. In May 2022, Durst earned an Education Specialist (EdS) degree in Executive Educational Leadership, also from BSU. Durst is married to his wife, Cheri and has four sons and a daughter.

Idaho Legislature

In the Idaho Senate, Durst served as a member of the following committees: * Agricultural Affairs * Commerce and Human Resources * Education Durst was also a member of the joint Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee (EORAC). As a member of the Idaho House of Representatives, Durst wrote the first law creating the Advanced Opportunities program along with legislative colleague

Steven Thayn Steven P. Thayn (born January 30, 1954, in Richland, Washington) is an American Republican politician who is the Idaho State Senator representing District 8. Previously, he served in the Idaho State House of Representatives, from 2007 to 2012. ...

. Durst and Thayn wrote additional legislation expanding the program further while members of the state senate. On November 20, 2013, Durst submitted his resignation from the Idaho Senate effective December 1, 2013, to Gov.

Butch Otter Clement Leroy "Butch" Otter (born May 3, 1942) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 32nd List of Governors of Idaho, governor of Idaho from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, h ...

. It was alleged by the press, but never verified, that Durst was splitting his time between Boise and the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

area, where his family had relocated.Richert, Kevin
"Durst resigning from state Senate"
''

Idaho Statesman The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynold ...

'', November 20, 2013. (accessed 20 November 2013) He was succeeded by Janie Ward-Engelking.Berg, Sven
"Ward-Engelking to replace Branden Durst in Idaho Senate"
''

'', December 20, 2013. (accessed 23 December 2013)

Elections

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durst, Branden J. 1980 births Boise State University alumni Republican Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives Living people Idaho state senators Pacific Lutheran University alumni Politicians from Boise, Idaho Democratic Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Idaho Legislature