Incumbent Woods appears headed to runoff in Georgia school superintendent race
Three-term Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods fell just shy of meeting the 50% plus one vote threshold he needed to avoid a runoff in the Republican primary election on Tuesday, according to unofficial results. Meanwhile, Lydia Powell, an assistant principal at Hampton High School in Henry County, appears to have enough votes to become the Democratic Party’s nominee for the position.
Neither race had been called by The Associated Press as of midday Wednesday.
Woods earned 49.89% of the vote. He faces a possible runoff with second-place candidate Candler County Superintendent Fred “Bubba” Longgrear.
“In a crowded primary with heavy spending against him from outside PACs and special interest groups, Superintendent Woods leads with a 20% margin and won 150 out of 159 counties,” Woods’ campaign said in a statement. “Once all votes are counted and the race certified, he’s eager for the opportunity to continue engaging with Georgians and earning their support.”
Woods is seeking a fourth term as superintendent. During the 2026 legislative session, he received some fiery criticism from fellow Republicans who were unhappy with state test scores and overall communication from the Georgia Department of Education. House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, even endorsed Longgrear in the primary, saying that Longgrear understands the “responsibility and urgency” of the work needed to improve literacy in the state.
Longgrear, who is the president of the Georgia School Superintendents Association, raised the most money of any candidate in the race. Many contributions came from fellow district superintendents. He garnered just over 29% of Tuesday’s vote. The three other candidates — Randell Trammell, Nelva Lee and former state Rep. Mesha Mainor — trailed behind.
Powell, an assistant principal at Hampton High School in Henry County, had 50.49% of the vote in the Democratic Party primary, easily ahead of fellow educators Anton Anthony and Otha Thornton.
Powell, who has worked in metro Atlanta districts including DeKalb, Clayton and Fayette counties, said she’ll focus part of her campaign on helping schools in rural Georgia.
“I already have my calendar set up, so I plan to just go see people, visit people, any invitations that I get to schools where parents are having meetings, so I can hear some of those concerns,” Powell told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “That is my goal, and that is my strategy.”
Powell knows it will require tireless effort for a Democrat to win the seat, but said she campaigned relentlessly leading up to the primary.
“Sometimes I would take half a day from work, and then drive three, four hours across the state so that I can engage voters and engage parents and teachers in this state,” she said. “So it’s going to be difficult, but I’m up for the challenge.”
About the Author
Martha Dalton is a journalist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, writing about K-12 education. She was previously a senior education reporter at WABE, Atlanta's NPR affiliate. Before that, she was a general assignment reporter at CNN Radio. Martha has worked in media for more than 20 years. She taught elementary school in a previous life.
