Public reception for candidates Thursday

Debbie Critchfield and Phil McGrane will make a joint appearance from 4-6 p.m. Thursday during a reception in Bakery by the Lake East.

Critchfield is a candidate for Idaho state superintendent of schools. McGrane is pursuing the office of secretary of state. Both are Republicans.

The reception at 315 E. Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive is open to the public. Guests will be able to share time with the candidates.

"You're getting firsthand knowledge," said event co-host John Goedde. "You’re not depending on the internet or who knows where for information."

Goedde represented District 4 in the Idaho Senate from 2002-2014. He served in District 3 prior to that.

Goedde said he supports Critchfield, with whom he worked for a number of years when she served on the Idaho State Board of Education. They both support personal finance curriculum for high-schoolers, as well as dual credit programming.

Critchfield has recently released a "Parents Bill of Rights" based on the principle that parents are their child's first and most important teacher and are the primary stakeholders for the upbringing of their children. That can be viewed here: https://debbie4idaho.com/bill-of-rights

Goedde said he's also spent time with McGrane.

"Election security is a huge issue nationwide," Goedde said. "There are people locally that would suggest election results have been flawed. Phil is in the position to answer questions about process and so on."

Critchfield's campaign manager, Tyler Hurst, said that during the reception, the public will be welcome to listen to Debbie share her vision for the kids of Idaho and Idaho schools.

“People can come and meet Debbie and they can hear her speak, ask questions of her and get some information," Hurst said.