aligned
Cobb County, GA ballot

Richard Woods

Republicanincumbent

State School Superintendent · Cobb County, Georgia · November 3, 2026

Also on the ballot: Lydia Powell (Democrat)

Richard Woods is the three-term incumbent Georgia State School Superintendent, a former classroom teacher and school administrator who narrowly won a contested 2026 Republican primary runoff despite criticism of his literacy record and opposition from some GOP legislative leaders and a conservative PAC. He faces Democrat Lydia Powell in November.

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 search

Donald Trump: nothing found. No endorsement or criticism found; primary-race endorsement reporting names Georgia House and Senate Republican leaders and the group Frontline Policy Action opposing Woods, but does not mention Donald Trump taking a position in this race. source

  • Frontline Policy Action (against) source
  • Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, House Education Chair Chris Erwin, Senate Education Chair Billy Hickman (endorsed primary opponent Longgrear) (against) source

Who they are

Richard Woods has been Georgia's State School Superintendent since January 2015, after 14 years as an Irwin County social studies teacher and subsequent roles as assistant principal, principal, curriculum director and testing coordinator (Ballotpedia). He won re-nomination in a June 16, 2026 Republican runoff with 51.5% of the vote over Fred "Bubba" Longgrear (Ballotpedia).

Positions

  • Schools: Says he eliminated Common Core ELA standards in favor of Georgia-authored standards, created a state Director of Literacy position, and deployed literacy coaches in low-performing schools (campaign website). His campaign material does not stake out an explicit position for or against expanding the state's private-school voucher program; a review of primary-race coverage found neither Woods nor his chief GOP rival took a clear public position on vouchers (Factually.co).
  • Taxes & spending: Says he is "fighting to modernize the K-12 education formula so students have the resources and supports they need" and to secure further educator pay raises (campaign website).

Record

Under Woods' administration the state launched the Georgia Promise Scholarship, a private-school voucher program offering up to $6,500 per year to K-12 students in low-performing public schools (WABE). During the 2026 primary, Woods came under criticism from state lawmakers for what they described as disengagement from a legislative push to fund a literacy coach in every K-3 school, at a time when about 35% of Georgia third graders met literacy proficiency in 2024-25 (WABE). House Speaker Jon Burns, House Education Committee Chair Chris Erwin and Senate Education Committee Chair Billy Hickman all endorsed his primary opponent instead of Woods (WABE), and the evangelical-conservative group Frontline Policy Action said it would back "nearly any other Republican candidate" over Woods (Factually.co).

Money

Ballotpedia/OpenSecrets figures show Woods' campaign raised $110,633 in the 2022 cycle and $48,829 in 2014 ($159,462 combined); 2026 totals were not yet listed on Ballotpedia (Ballotpedia). In the 2026 primary, Woods raised roughly $30,000 from individuals, far less than runoff opponent Longgrear's roughly $210,000 from individuals plus $105,000 from corporations/committees; a PAC called Conservatives for Strong Schools, funded by a $900,000 contribution from America Works Fund Inc., spent about $830,000 in independent expenditures trying to unseat Woods in the primary (WABE).

Recent news

  • 2026-06-16: Woods won the Republican runoff for re-nomination, 51.5% to 48.5%, despite being outspent (WABE).
  • 2026-05-19: Woods led a five-candidate Republican primary field with 49.9% (Ballotpedia).
  • 2026 (undated): Campaign site touts record math scores, a new Work-based Learning diploma, and record-low chronic absenteeism during his tenure (campaign website).

What we couldn't find

  • 2026 general-election campaign finance totals.
  • An explicit, on-the-record Woods position for or against expanding Georgia's voucher program.
  • A dated Trump endorsement or criticism specific to Woods; none was found in available coverage of the primary or general election.
Sources (5)