February 28, 2024 10:18 AM UTC

Colorado's Leading Talibangelical, Biggest Conservative Conference Slink Away

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• by: Colorado Pols

Over the years readers have gotten to know Jeff Hunt, the head of Colorado Christian University’s political activism wing known as the Centennial Institute, from his wedge issue grandstands at the state capitol and on social media, sometimes burning fellow Republicans–and also the Centennial Institute’s annual Western Conservative Summit, which during its heyday landed a full slate of “A-List” Republican speakers from Donald Trump to Dutch far-right racist provocateur Geert Wilders. The Centennial Institute in addition formerly listed convicted felon attorney Jenna Ellis as a Fellow, though since Ellis now resides in Florida awaiting the results of the second investigation by Colorado attorney regulators for her role in the 2020 Trump coup plot she has no known role with the organization is today.

And those details might not get any clearer, since CCU announced yesterday that Jeff Hunt is leaving the Centennial Institute effective immediately after nine years of whatever it is he did there:

Colorado Christian University (CCU) announced the departure of Jeff Hunt from the university and his role as the executive director of the Centennial Institute, the university’s nonpartisan thinktank.

“We thank Jeff Hunt for his steadfast leadership of the Centennial Institute and the Western Conservative Summit,” said Eric Hogue, CCU president. “Jeff was a tireless advocate for the advancement of faith, family and freedom while leading the institute and we support Jeff as he continues his transition into broadcasting. As a former radio host myself, it is obvious that Jeff has the unique skillset and personality to be successful on air.”

Hunt will be the daily morning host of The Jeff and Bill Show on KNUS 710 AM in Denver. The recently launched talk show airs Monday through Friday from 6-10 a.m. and can heard be both over the air and online.

First and foremost, let’s be clear that this is not career advancement in any respect for Jeff Hunt. One does not suddenly step down from a six-figure job as the director of a major conservative “stink tank” to pursue vastly less money in the declining conservative AM talk radio business. As for the Centennial Institute’s signature product, the annual Western Conservative Summit?

There’s apparently not going to be one in 2024:

A national search is underway for a new executive director. Dr. Tom Copeland, director of research at CI, will oversee operations during the interim. The Western Conservative Summit, originally scheduled for June 7-8, has been postponed. The event will return in 2025 under the leadership of CI’s next executive director.

In recent years as we’ve noted in this space, the WCS’ roster of speakers has steadily declined from once including some of the best-known conservative luminaries to a relative sideshow of B-List lawmakers and ideological crackpots most Americans have never heard of. Hunt himself publicly lamented last year that “we can’t seem to get the national conservatives to pay attention” to the WCS anymore, and it looks to us like a key funder or funders eventually took Hunt at his word. Without the draw of their once-great annual conference, it’s fair to question what exactly Jeff Hunt and the Centennial Institute does. Were they just paying Jeff Hunt to Tweet?

The suddenness of Hunt’s departure and cancellation of this year’s Western Conservative Summit invite speculation about as-yet undisclosed intrigue factoring into these events. It could be as simple as a key funder deciding the return on investment was no longer justified, or that Hunt and the high-profile Centennial Institute were becoming a distraction from the publicly-funded university’s mission.

Or, it could be substantially more interesting. We’ll be on the watch for fallout.