Republican Branden Durst says he no longer plans to run for Idaho Senate in District 11.
Durst is a former Idaho lawmaker and superintendent of West Bonner School District. He founded Brabeion Academy, a charter school expected to open this fall in Nampa. West Bonner recently paid Durst $67,000 to settle a lawsuit he filed in 2024 after trustees terminated his contract.
In a Facebook post Monday, Durst wrote that he “decided to realign” his focus and step away from the Senate race. He announced in October that he planned to run against Sen. Camille Blaylock, R-Caldwell.
He wrote that he is busy opening his charter school and realized that “many in the Senate are more interested in maintaining the status quo than in the structural changes needed to save our Republic.”
“I am not quitting,” Durst wrote. “I have never been a quitter and I don’t intend to start now. I am a fighter, and I will always be in the arena fighting for a Christian populist worldview.”
Durst encouraged former Sen. Chris Trakel to “take up the challenge.” Trakel was elected to the Senate in District 11 in 2022 but lost the primary election to Blaylock in 2024. The former senator has an active account in Idaho Sunshine for the 2026 election, but races won’t officially be set until Idaho’s Feb. 23-27 filing period ends.
Blaylock’s campaign raised $42,010 as of Tuesday.
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