The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) has a regrettable — but reliable — history of mixing the culture wars with public education. And, it seems, almost every election cycle — eight of the 15 SBOE seats are up for election this year — at least one candidate promises to make things even worse. This year is not different.

Meet Mary Lou Bruner. If you keep an eye on the SBOE like we do here at TFN, you might have seen her at a hearing here or two railing against Muslims. Bruner is running for the SBOE District 9 seat as a Republican to replace fellow Republican Thomas Ratliff, a moderate who has tried to put an end to the circus atmosphere at the board and is not running for re-election.

Bruner, a former teacher, is not shy about sharing her views on social media. And while one of Bruner’s opponents, Hank Hering, has a concerning statement on his website that appears to dismiss the constitutional separation between church and state (“Restore principles and policies originally established by strong Judeo-Christian beliefs put in place by our Founders”), his public statements do not approach Bruner’s level of outrageousness.

From Bruner’s postings we know that if she wins the March 1 Republican primary — her opponents are Hering and Lufkin Independent School Board President Keven Ellis — and again in the November general, the board will have a member who, among other things, calls evolution a plot to promote godlessness, says slavery did not become an issue until the Civil War was well underway, and subscribes to a variety of fringe conspiracy theories — including a claim that President Obama once financed a drug habit by working as a prostitute….

Bruner’s views on a variety of topics are too numerous to list here. If the above is any indication, her election would have the board often making headlines for all the wrong reasons … again.