Political Leanings

State of the Superintendency

Party affiliation of superintendents has shifted moderately during the first two decades of the 21st century.

AASA’s decennial study of the superintendency completed in 2020 found 33 percent of the 1,200 respondents said they affiliated with Republicans, 31 percent said they were Democrats and nearly 33 percent said they considered themselves independents.

In AASA’s 2000 study, respondents were almost evenly divided with respect to political party preference (compared to party affiliation asked in subsequent surveys).

In the decennial study issued in 2010, the percentage of Republicans in the superintendent ranks dropped to 28.4 percent, while those indicating affiliation with the Democrats rose to 37 percent. Notably, among the 1,700 superintendents answering this question in 2010, 9 percent selected none for party affiliation.