Superintendent of Candler County Schools Fred “Bubba” Longgrear speaks at a debate hosted by the Atlanta Press Club in Atlanta on June 1, 2026. Alander Rocha/Georgia Recorder
The runoff race for the Republican nomination for Georgia state superintendent is heating up, with both candidates using the debate stage Monday to criticize their opponent’s leadership record.
The winner of the June 16 runoff will face Lydia Powell, Democratic nominee for state superintendent, in November.
State Superintendent Richard Woods is seeking his fourth term but has faced sharp criticism from lawmakers for low literacy rates in Georgia public schools. Several Georgia GOP leaders have endorsed his opponent, Candler County Superintendent Bubba Longgrear, and emphasized their desire to replace Woods with new leadership.
In last month’s five-way Republican primary election, Woods was only 1,000 votes short of winning the majority and avoiding a runoff.
During the Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series, Woods came out swinging against Longgrear, accusing his opponent of accepting “dark money” campaign funding and citing below average literacy rates in Candler County.
“The reality is, I’m endorsed and have been endorsed by the people of Georgia, the educators of Georgia,” Woods said. “What he won’t talk about is the $1 million of dark money that is propping up his campaign.”
Longgrear told the Georgia Recorder that he doesn’t know where the “dark money” Woods referenced was coming from, but attributed his funding success to Georgians being concerned with the state’s education system. The candidate has received about $900,000 in funding from Conservatives For Strong Schools, a Georgia PAC focused on education.
Woods said his track record of eliminating the Common Core, raising graduation rates and literacy scores and providing more opportunity for personal finance and fine arts education make him the best candidate in the runoff.
But Woods has been criticized for Georgia’s poor literacy rates. The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress reported that only 30% of Georgia fourth graders were proficient in reading.
Regarding statewide literacy, Woods said his work to improve reading scores is “ongoing,” pointing to a state law passed in May that will fund more than 1,300 literacy coaches for Georgia public schools. At the preference of House Republicans, though, Woods was largely cut out of the development of the literacy law.
Woods refuted the criticism of his lack of collaboration with lawmakers, adding that he asked the Georgia Legislature for a literacy coach program three years ago. Woods was adamant that he has given Georgia educators and students his “best” during his previous three terms.
Woods accused Longgrear of financial mismanagement, claiming Candler County has been listed as “at-risk” by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts. A 2025 audit of Candler County Board of Education found the school district’s accounting process did not sufficiently document two financial assets, including a livestock trailer and a “private purpose trust.”
Longgrear called the financial discrepancies “trivial at best” and said they emerged from a scholarship donation and a borrowed livestock trailer. He also rebuked Woods’ criticism of the literacy rates in Candler County.
“It’s almost embarrassing that the state school superintendent is attacking one of his own districts to get to my leadership,” Longgrear said. “Our students are graduating with successful opportunities.”
Literacy scores dominated the debate, with both candidates pledging to increase reading abilities across public schools. Other debate topics included Quality Basic Education, which is the four-decade-old funding formula for Georgia schools, and school safety.
Another key part of Longgrear’s campaign is addressing student misbehavior and enforcing a “strict discipline policy” in schools, which could include increased suspensions or expulsions. However, the debate, and this runoff, will seemingly come down to whether voters prefer the incumbent candidate’s track record or want to take a chance on his challenger.
“Our goal initially was to make it to a runoff, and we barely slid in, but we did,” Longgrear said. “There’s a lot of people that feel like it’s time for a change of leadership, and to see if we can be innovative and lead Georgia moving forward in public education.”
