Lydia Powell
Lydia Powell (Democratic Party) is running for election for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools. She declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on May 19, 2026.
Powell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2026
See also: Georgia Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on May 19, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools
Lydia Powell (D) and Otha Thornton (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools on May 19, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Lydia Powell  | |
 | Otha Thornton | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools
Fred Longgrear (R), Mesha Mainor (R), and Randell Trammell (R) are running in the Republican primary for Georgia State Superintendent of Schools on May 19, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Fred Longgrear | ||
 | Mesha Mainor | |
 | Randell Trammell | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lydia Powell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Powell's responses.
| Collapse all
- I want to ensure every child in Georgia begins their education on solid ground through universal access to preschool education. Early investment in learning creates lifelong success especially when every child, regardless of zip code, has the same start.”
- I believe in accountability, however I we need to reduce the over reliance on standardized tests and replace it with professional respect and smart assessment practices. Teachers deserve trust, support, and training that helps them focus on real learning not just test preparation. I also prioritize mental health and wellness for students and educators alike, with statewide standards for funding and support.
- I want to strengthen rural Georgia student support networks I want to expand connectivity and access to advanced coursework for rural communities, ensuring opportunity reaches every corner of Georgia. In addition to strengthening partnerships with social services, DFACS, and school resource officers to address whole-child needs keeping students connected, supported, and safe.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
.svg.png){kind=small}
