Debbie Critchfield wins GOP primary in race for Idaho’s top education official

Former State Board of Education president Debbie Critchfield topped her two competitors in the Republican primary to be Idaho’s next superintendent of public instruction.

Critchfield secured 39.6% of the votes, which were all counted by Wednesday morning. Her closest competitor, former state legislator Branden Durst, received 33.8%, while incumbent Sherri Ybarra trailed with 26.6%.

Following her victory in the primary, Critchfield said Wednesday she plans to continue to travel across Idaho to spread her message ahead of the November general election.

“I ran because Idaho deserves a strong education leader,” she said in a news release. “Idahoans from every corner of our state believe it’s time for a change and responded to our message of putting kids first.”

She told the Idaho Statesman Tuesday night she was proud of the work she and her campaign had done. She called the superintendent of public instruction the most important constitutional officer, next to the governor.

“I feel like my message was something that really meant something to Idahoans,” she said.

Durst on Wednesday acknowledged his defeat on Twitter, but claimed, with no evidence, he earned the votes of “more actual Republicans” than his opponents. Durst was previously a Democratic state legislator in Idaho and ran as a Democratic candidate in a 2016 primary in Washington.

“The @IdahoGOP must address it’s Democrat primary crossover problem,” he tweeted. “There is no honor in victory when you need the other team to get you across the finish line.”

Ybarra, who was first elected to the role in 2014, was running for her third term as the state’s top education official.

Candidates for superintendent have campaigned around several issues that have been major topics of interest in education — if critical race theory is present in Idaho schools, whether public funding should follow students who want to attend private or alternative schools, and how schools handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

The three candidates differ on several of these issues.

Throughout the campaign, Ybarra touted her experience as an educator and her record as superintendent. She pointed to rankings from Education Week that show Idaho rose from 31st in student achievement in 2016 to its most recent 17th ranking last year. It’s one of three factors Education Week uses for a state’s report card. Idaho most recently ranked 40th overall in the study, a gradual increase from its 48th rank in 2016.

Critchfield has said her experience on the Board of Education make her qualified for the position. Her priorities include focusing on skills and job readiness in Idaho schools and restoring trust in the state’s public education system.

Durst tried to paint himself as the outsider candidate. His priorities included rooting out any critical race theory in schools and expanding school choice. Educators and administrators have said over the past year critical race theory is not taught in K-12 schools. Durst has faced allegations over the past decade relating to domestic abuse and harassment.

Having three people in the race highlighted “differences in leadership style,” Critchfield told the Statesman on Tuesday.

“I’m hoping that the confidence and the trust that people have developed in me will show through,” Critchfield said.

Becca Savransky covers education for the Idaho Statesman in partnership with Report for America. The position is partly funded through community support. Click here to donate.