Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on February 10, 2026
BOISE, ID – An Idaho Army National Guard officer who claims he faced religious discrimination for his opposition to a Pocatello drag queen story hour announced he is running for Idaho Senate against Sen. Jim Guthrie.
David Worley, a Republican, writes on his campaign website that he believes the government should protect children and not normalize “radical sexual ideology” that undermines family life. He commits to protecting parental rights in education.
“Our schools, libraries, and public institutions should be places that reinforce what is good, true, and beautiful, not places where innocence is targeted and boundaries are erased,” Worley wrote.
He is challenging Guthrie, R-McCammon, in the May 19 primary in District 28. Guthrie voted against House Bill 93 last year, which created the $50 million Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit.
At a Save Our Schools event last summer in American Falls, Guthrie said the tax credits are “contrary to the Constitution.”
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” said Guthrie, a rancher and business owner.
As of Tuesday, Worley’s campaign has raised $3,000 to Guthrie’s $24,825.
Worley in 2022 ran for Idaho Senate in District 29. He lost the general election to Sen. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, by an 8-point margin.
Federal lawsuit
Worley in January 2025 filed a federal district court lawsuit against three defendants in their capacities with the Idaho National Guard:
- Gov. Brad Little, commander-in-chief of the Idaho National Guard
- Maj. Gen. Timothy Donnellan
- Brig. Gen. James Packwood
Worley, a major in the Army National Guard, claims he faced discrimination, retaliation and punishment for exercising his First Amendment right to “exercise his sincerely held religious beliefs.”
According to court documents, a guardsman under Worley’s command filed a hostile work environment complaint against him. The guardsman, who identified as homosexual, wrote in the complaint that he felt Worley had discriminated against him due to his sexual orientation. He then Googled Worley’s name and found press reports showing Worley’s opposition to a drag queen story hour and his involvement with the “extremist/hate group” MassResistance.
The officer who investigated the guardsman’s complaint substantiated the hostile work environment claim and recommended Worley’s permanent removal from command.
The Idaho State Journal reported in February 2023 that Worley and local church members staged a peaceful sit-in during a “Reading Time with the Queens” event at the Marshall Public Library in Pocatello.
The Journal reported that some usual attendees of the event — parents and young children — were turned away because the church members filled the room up to its maximum capacity of 40 people.
The sit-in event was to “protect children from being exposed to sexual deviancy,” Worley said, according to the Idaho State Journal.
Worley has served over 22 years in the Army National Guard. The complaint against him led to “the derailment of his career,” according to the lawsuit.
Worley’s attorneys wrote in court documents that he believes a failure to speak out against things he knows are wrong would result in the “eternal condemnation of his soul.”
The lawsuit asks the U.S. District Court of Idaho to require the defendants to cease all investigations and restore Worley to his position. The last filing in the case was in September.
Daniel Schmid, a lawyer with Florida-based Liberty Counsel representing Worley, told EdNews on Tuesday that they are waiting on the judge to take action in the case.
“I’ve never seen a judge sit on a temporary restraining order for over a year,” Schmid said.
According to its website, Liberty Counsel is “a Christian ministry that proclaims, advocates, supports, advances, and defends the good news that God in the person of Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins and offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who accept him as Lord and Savior.”
