Rep. Codi Galloway, who is running for State Senate, canceled her “Daddy-Daughter Dance” campaign fundraiser scheduled for September 2022 at Centennial High due to questions raised about the legality of holding such a partisan political event at a public school. School district records show a similar event had been planned in April but was canceled due to lack of ticket sales. A formal complaint has been filed owing to the use of school resources to promote a partisan campaign event.
Partisan events on public property are prohibited by state law. As a State Representative, Galloway voted to amend and update the law that prohibits such activity this past legislative session.
Galloway voted for this year’s bill, HB 566, which passed the House 67-1. It also included a minor change to the definition of public property or resources “that are available to the general public,” which are exempted from the section, by adding, “at such times and in such manner as they are available to the general public.”
Despite Galloway’s vote, she still attempted to violate state law by holding this event. Normally, school administrators might have flagged a political fundraiser as a problem, but Galloway hid the intent of the event in her application for the rental space. According to KTVB, even though the event was explicitly for her campaign, she made no mention of her state senate campaign in her application. She claimed the event was for a “for profit business” and for “individual personal use.” Galloway had also held previous “Daddy Daughter Dances” as fundraisers at the school for non-campaign purposes.
A complaint against Galloway for holding the potentially illegal event was filed with the Ada County Prosecutor’s office and the Idaho Attorney General’s office.
Galloway is the GOP candidate for Senate District 15. She defeated five-term Senator, Fred Martin, in the GOP primary, and will face off against Democrat Rick Just and Constitution Party candidate Sarah Clendenon in November.