BOISE, Idaho —
This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Rep. Codi Galloway, R-Boise, who is running for the state Senate, has canceled her planned “Daddy-Daughter Dance” campaign fundraiser tomorrow at a public school in the West Ada School District. “The Daddy Daughter Dance will no longer be held at Centennial High School,” Galloway told the Idaho Press via email this afternoon.
West Ada School District spokesman Greg Wilson confirmed that Galloway canceled the event via an email to the high school. The move came after questions over the legality of holding a political campaign fundraiser at a public school, in light of a 2018 Idaho law forbidding exactly that. Galloway also requested, and the school district sent out, more than 700 electronic flyers advertising the “Daddy-Daughter Dance” to households with students at the Spalding STEM Academy in the district. A small line at the bottom of the flyers said, “*Event hosted by Codi 4 Idaho,” and below that, “Our district approves flyers from organizations as a community service and does not imply sponsorship nor endorsement of this program or event.”
School district records showed Galloway had reserved space at Centennial for a similar event in April, but Galloway said the April dance was canceled and she never sold any tickets for it.
She is running for a state Senate seat in District 15, after defeating five-term Sen. Fred Martin, R-Boise, in the GOP primary; she faces Democrat Rick Just on the November ballot. Earlier this week, Martin endorsed Just for the seat, a first for him as far as endorsing a Democrat over a Republican.
As of Friday afternoon, all references to the event had been removed from Galloway’s Facebook page and campaign website. Galloway is a first-term state representative.
Betsy Z. Russell is the Boise bureau chief and state capitol reporter for the Idaho Press and Adams Publishing Group. Follow her on Twitter at @BetsyZRussell.
This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press. Read more at IdahoPress.com
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