Lydia Powell
DemocratState School Superintendent · Cobb County, Georgia · November 3, 2026
Also on the ballot: Richard Woods (Republican)
Lydia Powell is a Fayette County educator and assistant principal at Hampton High School who won the 2026 Democratic nomination for Georgia State School Superintendent. She is a first-time statewide candidate campaigning on accountability and school standards, and has said voucher spending should not keep growing.
What this office decides
The State School Superintendent leads the Georgia Department of Education, implementing curriculum standards, testing, and accountability systems for public schools. The office administers state and federal education funds and reports to the State Board of Education. Decisions affect classroom standards, school ratings, and district support statewide.
How this race lines up with you
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Dossier
Researched 2026-09-22 · Claude Code research agent with web searchDonald Trump: nothing found. No endorsement or criticism found.
Who they are
Lydia Powell has 26 years of experience in Georgia and Florida education, including 11 years in educational leadership, and currently works as an assistant principal at Hampton High School (WABE; campaign website). She has taught in Lee County (Florida), DeKalb, Henry, Clayton and Fayette county schools, and is active locally as chair of the City of Fayetteville Ethics Committee and a Fayette County Democratic Committee post holder (campaign website). She won the May 19, 2026 Democratic primary outright with 50.5% of the vote over Anton Anthony and Otha Thornton (Ballotpedia).
Positions
- Schools: Says Georgia "can't have $100 million in vouchers," acknowledging the state's voucher program is established but arguing against continued expansion of voucher spending (Atlanta News First interview, 2026-08-23).
- General platform: Campaigns on the theme "Raising Standards, Restoring Pride," citing accountability, excellence and results as pillars, without detailed public policy specifics located in this research (campaign website).
Record
Powell has not previously held elected office; her professional record is as a longtime classroom teacher and, more recently, school administrator, including service on the Fayette County High School Principal's Advisory Council and the HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) Advisory Board (campaign website). She received the 100 Black Women of Atlanta Unsung Heroine Award in 2025 (campaign website).
Money
Ballotpedia states campaign finance information for Powell "is not yet available from OpenSecrets" (Ballotpedia); no other fundraising total was located in this research.
Recent news
- 2026-08-23: Sat for an extended interview with Atlanta News First's "On The Record," discussing her campaign and voucher spending (Atlanta News First/YouTube).
- 2026-06-16: Profiled by WABE as the confirmed Democratic nominee after incumbent Woods won his GOP runoff (WABE).
- 2026-05-19: Won the Democratic primary outright with 50.5% of the vote (Ballotpedia).
What we couldn't find
- Campaign finance totals (explicitly not yet available per Ballotpedia/OpenSecrets).
- A detailed issues page from her campaign website beyond general themes; specific positions on teacher pay, testing, or curriculum were not located.
- Any Trump-related statement (none expected/found for this race).
- Major organizational endorsements beyond several small local "Sway" voter-guide listings on Ballotpedia (Adam Tsou endorsements, Cobb County Candidates, GA Recommendations, How Clay Votes).