Martin defeats Longacre for state school board District 7 seat

James Martin, a Democrat, won the Utah State Board of Education District 7 race with 29,548 votes, or 60.3%, according to unofficial results from Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, Elections. Republican Erin Longacre received 19,442 votes, or 39.7%, out of 48,990 votes counted. Martin led by 10,106 votes, a margin of 20.6 percentage points. The result unseats Longacre, whom Gov. Spencer Cox appointed to the District 7 board seat in July 2025.

What was at stake

District 7 covers the southeast portion of Salt Lake County, which includes Sandy. The State Board of Education sets academic standards and oversees Utah's public education system.

The key issues:

• Martin, a special education teacher in Granite School District, said in a candidate questionnaire that he opposes using public funds for private schools and wants to focus on strengthening public schools facing declining enrollment.
• Longacre listed reducing testing, fiscal responsibility and smarter use of technology among her campaign priorities, according to her campaign website.
• Martin also said in a questionnaire that the state board's sensitive materials law is causing more harm than good and called for local control over curriculum and book selection.

Martin's win puts an educator with 28 years in public schools on a board that sets policy for the state's K-12 system.

A little history

Martin, a Salt Lake City native who holds a doctorate in educational leadership and policy, said in a candidate questionnaire this was his first time on the ballot. He has worked as a teacher, principal, principal supervisor and state board education specialist.

Longacre was appointed to the District 7 seat after Dr. Molly Hart left to become state superintendent, ABC4 reported in August 2025. She was one of three finalists chosen by the Republican Party's State Central Committee. In 2022, Longacre ran for the Canyons School District Board in District 6 but lost, according to ABC4.

What's next

The results remain unofficial until the canvass is complete. The county canvass deadline is Nov. 17, 2026, and the state canvass deadline is Nov. 23, 2026, according to the 2026 Utah Election Calendar from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Under Utah law, a losing candidate may request a recount if the margin is 0.25% or less of total votes cast. Martin's margin is well above that threshold.

Election results: Utah State Board of Education - District 7 (Utah General Election, 2026-11-03)

Source: Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, Elections. Results current as of Nov. 3, 2026, 9:05 p.m. MST. Reporting: 1 of 1. Unofficial results; every reporting unit has reported.