Lawmakers Blast Twin Falls Forum as ‘Extremely Dishonest’

Several Idaho lawmakers blasted a forum held in Twin Falls as “extremely dishonest.”

What’s Happening: Boise State Public Radio, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, and Idaho Solutions held an event at the College of Southern Idaho. The event was titled, “Extremely American: How Christian Nationalism is Changing Politics in Idaho and D.C.”

The host of the event was Chenele Dixon, a former Republican lawmaker who served just one term in the Idaho House before being defeated in the Republican primary by Rep. Clint Hostetler (R – Twin Falls). Dixon is also the Director of Idaho Solutions, one of the organizations that put on the event.

Heath Druzin was the main speaker at the event, and according to Rep. David Leavitt (R – Twin Falls), Druzin spent most of the event pushing liberal activist and talking points, saying in a substack post:

“The speaker, Heath Druzin, admitted outright that he sees Christian nationalism as one of the biggest threats to democracy. That’s not analysis. That’s activism. And while he claimed to present “both sides,” he spent nearly the entire lecture cherry-picking statements, decontextualizing quotes, and attributing the beliefs of a few individuals to entire communities of faith and political conviction. This wasn’t about informing the public—it was about creating fear and resentment toward conservative Christians and their growing role in Idaho’s political landscape.”

Leavitt was not the only lawmaker from the Twin Falls area to take aim at Druzin’s presentation.

Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld (R – Twin Falls) also blasted the event and said that it was part of an effort to try to label conservative lawmakers as Christian Nationalists. Zuiderveld posted on her Facebook profile, in part,

“Let me be crystal clear: this is part of the whisper campaign—a coordinated effort to slap labels on those of us who stand boldly for faith, family, and freedom. It’s personal politics, not principled debate. These attacks often come from individuals who have lost elections—or are terrified they’re about to. When they can’t win on merit or message, they turn to labels and lies.

As I told Sean Dorin (Magic Valley Times reporter): No, I do not consider myself a Christian Nationalist.”

Digging Deeper: Hostetler told Idaho Dispatch he will have a response to Druzin’s presentation soon.

You can watch the entire presentation here.

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Tags: Boise State Public Radio, Chenele Dixon, Clint Hostetler, David Leavitt, Glenneda Zuiderveld, Heath Druzin, Idaho Solutions, Mormon Women for Ethical Government

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