Branden Durst

Branden J. Durst
Idaho State Senator
from the 18th district
In office
December 2012  December 1, 2013
Preceded by Mitch Toryanski
Succeeded by Janie Ward-Engelking
Member of the Idaho House of Representatives
from the 18th district
In office
December 2006  December 2010
Preceded by Debbie Field
Succeeded by Julie Ellsworth
Personal details
Born (1980-01-15) January 15, 1980
Boise, Idaho
Nationality American
Political party Democratic
Children Broden, Carter, Graciana
Residence Tacoma
Alma mater Pacific Lutheran University, Boise State University
Occupation Consultant
Religion Christianity
Website www.votedurst.com

Branden John Durst (born January 15, 1980) is a Democratic politician from Tacoma, Washington. He was born in Boise, Idaho. Durst represented Idaho's 18th Legislative District (south and southeast Boise) in the Idaho House of Representatives from 2006 to 2010.[1] Durst was elected to the Idaho Senate in 2012 after an unsuccessful 2010 effort.[2] Until his December 2013 resignation he was the youngest member of the Idaho Senate.[3] Durst lives in Tacoma, Washington.

Personal and early life

Durst was born at St. Luke's Hospital in Boise, Idaho in 1980. He grew up in southeast Boise attending its public schools and was a third generation graduate of Boise High School. During his childhood and youth Durst was actively involved in many activities including club soccer, baseball, wrestling, DECA, Young Life, and assorted church activities.

While an undergraduate at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU), Durst was awarded a scholarship for speech and debate in which he won several individual and team awards. While attending PLU, Durst was hired by the Washington State Attorney General's Office, Consumer Protection Division. He also served as a policy intern for the American Counseling Association in Alexandria, Virginia. Academically, he earned a bachelor or arts degree in political science and a minor in communication.

After graduating from PLU, Branden attended graduate school at Kent State University and Claremont Graduate University where he studied public policy analysis and international political economy, respectively. He returned to Boise, and subsequently enrolled at Boise State University (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.

Branden is married and has two sons and a daughter. Professionally Branden works as small business owner and consultant. He is a Evangelical Christian and attends Calvary Baptist Church in Tacoma, Washington.

Committees

In the Idaho Senate Durst served as a member of the following committees:[4]

Durst was also a member of the joint Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee (EORAC).[5]

Elections

2006

Durst first ran for the Idaho Legislature in 2006 when he challenged then six-term incumbent Debbie Field. Field had also taken on the responsibility of serving as campaign manager for the gubernatorial campaign of C. L. "Butch" Otter. Durst won the race by a slim 176-vote margin.

2008

In 2008, Durst had become one of the top targets of the Idaho Republican Party. This prompted five-term legislator Julie Ellsworth to challenge Durst. Ellsworth, who had lost in 2006 to Democrat Phylis King. Durst defeated Ellsworth by a 51/49 margin.

2010

In 2010, Durst ran for the open seat in the Idaho Senate in his southeast Boise district vacated by Kate Kelly, but lost to Republican Mitch Toryanski by 103 votes. Fellow Democrat Janie Ward-Engelking ran for Durst's House seat, but lost by a nine-vote margin to Ellsworth.[6]

2012

In January 2012 Durst announced his intention to run against Toryanski again.[7] He defeated Toryanski in the 2012 rematch by a 53-46 margin.[2]

2016

In March 2016 Durst filed paperwork to run as a Democrat for the Washington State House of Representatives in District 29, House Position 1.

Resignation

On November 20, 2013, Durst submitted his resignation from the Idaho Senate effective December 1, 2013, to Gov. Butch Otter. Earlier in 2013 it was reported Durst was splitting his time between Boise and the Seattle area, where his family had relocated.[8] He was succeeded by Ward-Engelking.[9]


References

  1. "Branden Durst". ADA County Democrats. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  2. 1 2 2012 - General Election Statewide Totals (accessed 8 November 2012)
  3. Prentice, George. "Branden Durst 'If you look at the Democratic Senate Caucus, we're stronger than we were before.'" Boise Weekly, January 9, 2013. (accessed 20 August 2013)
  4. "Idaho State Legislature - Senate Committees". Idaho Legislature. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  5. "Idaho State Legislature - EORAC Members". Idaho Legislature. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  6. November 2, 2010 General Election Results (accessed 17 January 2012)
  7. Prentice, George. "Durst, Ward-Engelking Running for Legislature Again" Boise Weekly, January 17, 2012. (accessed 17 January 2012)
  8. Richert, Kevin. "Durst resigning from state Senate" Idaho Statesman, November 20, 2013. (accessed 20 November 2013)
  9. Berg, Sven. "Ward-Engelking to replace Branden Durst in Idaho Senate" Idaho Statesman, December 20, 2013. (accessed 23 December 2013)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 26, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.