David Shafer
David Shafer (Republican Party) was a member of the Georgia State Senate, representing District 48. Shafer assumed office in 2002. Shafer left office on January 13, 2019.
Shafer (Republican Party) ran for election for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia. Shafer lost in the Republican primary runoff on July 24, 2018.
Shafer is a former Republican member of the Georgia State Senate, representing District 48 from 2003 to 2019. Shafer served as state Senate president pro tempore from 2013 to 2018. He resigned from the leadership position in January 2018, to focus on campaigning for lieutenant governor.[1]
Shafer was mentioned in the wave of sexual misconduct allegations in late 2017 and 2018. In April 2018, the state Senate Ethics Committee dismissed the complaint against him. To read more, click here.
Biography
Shafer's professional experience includes working as a President of a corporate public relations firm and owning a small business. Shafer served as Executive Director of the Georgia Republican Party in the 1990s and as Assistant Administration Floor Leader for Governor Sonny Perdue from 2003 to 2004.
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Georgia committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Administrative Affairs, Chair |
| • Appropriations |
| • Assignments |
| • Banking and Financial Institutions |
| • Finance |
| • Government Oversight |
| • Health and Human Services |
| • Insurance and Labor, Vice chair |
| • Reapportionment and Redistricting |
| • Regulated Industries and Utilities |
| • Rules |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Shafer served on the following committees:
| Georgia committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Finance |
| • Health and Human Services |
| • Insurance and Labor, Vice chair |
| • Reapportionment and Redistricting |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Shafer served on the following committees:
| Georgia committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Administrative Affairs, Chair |
| • Insurance and Labor, Vice Chair |
| • Appropriations |
| • Assignments |
| • Banking and Financial Institutions |
| • Finance |
| • Health and Human Services |
| • Reapportionment and Redistricting |
| • Regulated Industries and Utilities |
| • Rules |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Shafer served on the following committees:
| Georgia committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Regulated Industries and Utilities, Chair |
| • Insurance and Labor, Vice Chair |
| • Finance |
| • Government Oversight |
| • Reapportionment and Redistricting |
| • Rules |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Shafer served on the following committees:
| Georgia committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Banking and Financial Institutions |
| • Finance |
| • Health and Human Services |
| • Insurance and Labor |
| • Reapportionment and Redistricting |
| • Regulated Industries and Utilities |
| • Rules |
| • Science and Technology |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
Geoff Duncan defeated Sarah Riggs Amico in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Geoff Duncan (R) | 51.6 | 1,951,738 | |
| Sarah Riggs Amico (D) | 48.4 | 1,828,566 | ||
| Total votes: 3,780,304 | ||||
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Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
Geoff Duncan defeated David Shafer in the Republican primary runoff for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia on July 24, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Geoff Duncan | 50.2 | 279,276 | |
| David Shafer | 49.8 | 277,523 | ||
| Total votes: 556,799 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
Sarah Riggs Amico defeated Triana Arnold James in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Sarah Riggs Amico | 55.2 | 278,662 | |
| Triana Arnold James | 44.8 | 225,758 | ||
| Total votes: 504,420 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
David Shafer and Geoff Duncan advanced to a runoff. They defeated Rick Jeffares in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | David Shafer | 48.9 | 268,221 | |
| ✔ | Geoff Duncan | 26.7 | 146,163 | |
| Rick Jeffares | 24.4 | 134,047 | ||
| Total votes: 548,431 | ||||
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2016
- See also: Georgia State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Georgia State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 24, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 11, 2016.
Incumbent David Shafer ran unopposed in the Georgia State Senate District 48 general election.[2][3]
| Georgia State Senate, District 48 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  David Shafer Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 51,546 | |
| Total Votes | 51,546 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent David Shafer ran unopposed in the Georgia State Senate District 48 Republican primary.[4][5]
| Georgia State Senate, District 48 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | David Shafer Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
- See also: Georgia State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Georgia State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014, with a runoff election taking place where necessary on July 22, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 7, 2014. David J. Shafer was unopposed in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election. Richard A. "Rick" Underwood (D) filed to run but did not appear on the official primary returns.[6][7][8]
2012
- See also: Georgia State Senate elections, 2012
Shafer ran in the 2012 election for Georgia State Senate District 48. Shafer ran unopposed in the Republican primary on July 31, 2012. No Democratic candidate filed to run for this seat. The general election took place on November 6, 2012.[9][10] Shafer ran unopposed in the general election.[11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David Shafer Incumbent |
100% | 45,004 | |
| Total Votes | 45,004 | |||
2010
- See also: Georgia State Senate elections, 2010
Shafer won re-election to the 48th District seat in 2010. He was unopposed in the July 20 primary and had no opponent in the general election on November 2, 2010.[12]
| Georgia State Senate, District 48 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| David Shafer (R)
|
38,773 | 100.0% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Shafer won re-election to the Georgia Senate from Georgia's 48th Senate district. Shafer ran unopposed in the general election, and he received 58,157 votes.[13] Shafer raised $305,565 for his campaign.[14]
Campaign themes
2018
These were the policy positions listed on Shafer's website.
| “ |
Taxes & Spending Politicians seem to forget that every dollar government spends was first earned by one of us. When times are good and revenues are high, they spend like there is no tomorrow. That is exactly what happened here in Georgia in the 1990s when state government spending grew almost three times as fast as our population. I have fought to eliminate wasteful spending and reduce taxes and I led the effort to pass zero based budgeting so that every dollar of government spending is justified. I support a cut in the premium tax, which will not only cut the insurance premiums we all pay but encourage more insurance companies to locate here in Georgia, with good paying jobs that do not pollute the environment. To make ourselves competitive with Florida and other states without an income tax, I support the phased elimination of the income tax. I sponsored a constitutional amendment to prevent an increase in the maximum income tax rate, effectively capping it. I believe that passage of this measure by the people of this state is a first step to end income taxation in Georgia. As a matter of principle, I believe that government revenue should be raised from taxing consumption, not productivity. I support the Fair Tax proposed by Congressman John Linder. When times are tough, I believe that government should cut spending, not raise taxes. I support a constitutional amendment that would require voter approval of any future tax increase. Education Our children deserve the best possible education. They should be taught to read, write, count and compute, in an environment that is uncrowded and safe. Upon graduation, they should be ready for college, technical school, or a job. I want to cut the state education bureaucracy and move those dollars to the local school systems where they can make a real difference. I support smaller class sizes. I want teachers teaching, not doing paperwork or acting as security guards. I want violent students and gang members removed from the regular school system and placed in “second chance” reform schools. I strongly support the HOPE scholarship as a merit based program to help our brightest young minds attend state colleges and universities. Crime In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote that governments were instituted to secure our God given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The framers of our State Constitution said it more succinctly when they declared that public safety is the paramount duty of state government. Convicted criminals should serve every day of their sentences. I oppose the use of parole as a tool to manage prison overcrowding. Dangerous criminals should not be put back on the streets simply because our prisons lack bed space. I support tougher truth-in-sentencing laws. Our criminal justice system should safeguard the rights of victims as zealously as those of the accused criminals. We must eliminate the urban and suburban street gangs that breed future generations of criminals. I support tougher penalties for crimes against children and the elderly. Traffic Traffic congestion keeps mothers and fathers away from their families and reduces our quality of life. I will fight to spend more of our tax dollars on infrastructure to relieve the traffic choked roadways of metro Atlanta. I believe that transportation funds should be allocated where needed, not according to gerrymandered political district lines. I support greater use of high occupancy lanes to encourage carpooling, which will reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. I believe all taxes on motor fuel, including the so-called “fourth penny” of the fuel tax, should be solely dedicated to transportation. Environment It was a Republican President, Teddy Roosevelt, who began the modern day conservation movement. I am proud to have twice won the Environmental Leadership Award from Georgia Conservation Voters, and I will continue to work to keep our air and water clean and protect our natural treasures. Illegal Immigration From the ancestors of the American Indians who walked across the frozen straits of Alaska to the Europeans who crossed the Atlantic Ocean by ship, ours is a nation of immigrants. I wholeheartedly welcome those who follow the rules and come to America legally. But history teaches us that nations which lose control of their borders cease to be nations. The federal government has a duty to protect our national border and enforce our immigration laws. I oppose any grant of government benefits to illegal aliens.[15] |
” |
| —David Schafer for Lt. Governor[16] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
| David Shafer | |
| Republican National Convention, 2016 | |
| Status: | At-large delegate |
| State: | Georgia |
| Bound to: | Unknown |
| Delegates to the RNC 2016 | |
| Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • Delegate rules by state • State election law and delegates • Delegates by state | |
Shafer was an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Georgia.[17] In the Georgia Republican primary election on March 1, 2016, Donald Trump won 42 delegates, Marco Rubio won 16, and Ted Cruz won 18. Ballotpedia was not able to identify which candidate Shafer was bound by state party rules to support at the national convention. If you have information on how Georgia’s Republican delegates were allocated, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.[18]
Delegate rules
Delegates from Georgia to the Republican National Convention were elected at district conventions and the state convention in June 2016. Delegates from Georgia were "bound" to the candidate to whom they were allocated through the first round of voting at the national convention unless their candidate withdrew from the race after the state primary election—in which case Georgia state law required those delegates to be "unpledged" at the national convention.
Georgia primary results
- See also: Presidential election in Georgia, 2016
| Georgia Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
|
Donald Trump |
38.8% | 502,994 | 42 | |
| Marco Rubio | 24.4% | 316,836 | 16 | |
| Ted Cruz | 23.6% | 305,847 | 18 | |
| John Kasich | 5.6% | 72,508 | 0 | |
| Ben Carson | 6.2% | 80,723 | 0 | |
| Jeb Bush | 0.6% | 7,686 | 0 | |
| Chris Christie | 0.1% | 1,486 | 0 | |
| Carly Fiorina | 0.1% | 1,146 | 0 | |
| Lindsey Graham | 0% | 428 | 0 | |
| Mike Huckabee | 0.2% | 2,625 | 0 | |
| George Pataki | 0% | 236 | 0 | |
| Rand Paul | 0.2% | 2,910 | 0 | |
| Rick Santorum | 0% | 539 | 0 | |
| Totals | 1,295,964 | 76 | ||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State and CNN | ||||
Delegate allocation
Georgia had 76 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 42 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's 14 congressional districts). District-level delegates were allocated proportionally; the highest vote-getter in a congressional district received two of that district's delegates, and the second highest vote-getter received the remaining delegate. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote in a given district, he or she won all three of that district's delegates.[19][20]
Of the remaining 34 delegates, 31 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the statewide vote in order to be eligible to win any of Georgia's at-large delegates. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the statewide vote, he or she received all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[19][20]
Noteworthy events
Criminal indictment by Georgia grand jury (2023)
On August 15, 2023, David Shafer was one of 19 defendants criminally charged in a grand jury indictment related to interference in the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.[21] Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) filed the indictment in Fulton Superior Court in Georgia, and the case was set to be heard by Judge Scott McAfee.[22]
Shafer was charged with eight criminal counts. Shafer pleaded not guilty.[21][23] Click here for a more detailed list of the charges.
The indictment included a total of 41 criminal counts related to interference in Georgia's 2020 presidential election results against 19 defendants, including former President Donald Trump (R), former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, and Georgia State Senator Shawn Still (R), among others.[21]
The indictment followed a special grand jury investigation into whether Trump and his allies attempted to change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The grand jury convened in May 2022, and completed its investigation in January 2023.[24]
Sexual harassment complaint dismissed (2018)
On April 13, 2018, the state Senate Ethics Committee notified Shafer that a sexual harassment complaint against him was being dismissed. “Based on the findings of fact reported by the independent counsel, the committee found that there is a lack of credible evidence to support the allegations in the complaint,” said Ethics Committee Chairman Dean Burke (R). “Further, the evidence contradicted the essential elements of the complaint." Responding to the report, Shafer said, “As I have said from the beginning, these allegations are false. As much as I am happy that my name has been cleared, the sad reality is this has taken away from the real suffering of actual victims of sexual harassment.”[25]
An unnamed female lobbyist filed the sexual harassment complaint against Shafer on March 9, 2018. The complaint said, "On multiple occasions over several years Shafer has harassed, demanded sexual favors, created a hostile work environment and retaliated against (the lobbyist) when she refused his multiple sexual overtures and requests.” Shafer denied the allegations against him and said that he had an office policy against having private meetings with the lobbyist because she had a reputation for fabricating stories. Shafer produced affidavits from one staffer and two lobbyists attesting to the policy.[26]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Shafer and his wife, Lee, have one child.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Georgia scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2018
In 2018, the Georgia General Assembly was in session from January 8 through March 29.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on children's education.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Georgia General Assembly was in session from January 9 through March 31.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Georgia General Assembly was in session from January 11 through March 24.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Georgia State Legislature was in session from January 12 through April 2.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Georgia State Legislature was in session from January 13 through March 21.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Georgia State Legislature was in session from January 13 through March 21.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Georgia State Legislature was in session from January 9 through March 29.
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See also
| Georgia | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Office of lieutenant governor
- Sen. Shafer's website
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002
- David Shafer on Facebook
- David Shafer on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ Gwinnett Daily Post, "Shafer steps down from leadership position in state Senate," January 8, 2018
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Qualifying Candidate Information," accessed August 17, 2016
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "General Election results," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Qualifying Candidate Information," accessed March 13, 2016
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "General primary results," accessed May 24, 2016
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed March 10, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed May 28, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed November 13, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State Elections Division, "Candidate List," accessed May 29, 2012
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Official 2012 Primary Results," accessed December 31, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Elections Division, "2012 Election Results" accessed November 16, 2012
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "2010 Election results," accessed December 31, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Georgia Senate official election results for 2008," accessed December 31, 2014
- ↑ District 48 Georgia Senate candidate funds, 2008
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Shafer for Georgia, "On the Issues," accessed June 14, 2018
- ↑ AJC, "Ted Cruz backers lose bid to pack Georgia GOP delegate slate," June 4, 2016
- ↑ To build our list of the state and territorial delegations to the 2016 Republican National Convention, Ballotpedia relied primarily upon official lists provided by state and territorial Republican parties, email exchanges and phone interviews with state party officials, official lists provided by state governments, and, in some cases, unofficial lists compiled by local media outlets. When possible, we included what type of delegate the delegate is (at-large, district-level, or RNC) and which candidate they were bound by state and national party bylaws to support at the convention. For most delegations, Ballotpedia was able to track down all of this information. For delegations where we were not able to track down this information or were only able to track down partial lists, we included this note. If you have additional information on this state's delegation, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Fulton Superior Court, "Indictment," accessed August 15, 2023
- ↑ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Trump, 18 others indicted for trying to overthrow 2020 Georgia election," August 14, 2023
- ↑ The Atlanta Journal-Contitution, "19 not guilty pleas as Trump Georgia defendants all waive arraignment," September 5, 2023
- ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Trump special grand jury probe in Georgia," accessed August 15, 2023
- ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Georgia ethics panel dismisses harassment complaint against Shafer," April 13, 2018
- ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Lobbyist files sexual harassment complaint against Georgia lawmaker," March 9, 2018
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Georgia State Senate - District 48 2003–2019 |
Succeeded by Zahra Karinshak (D) |
 |
State of Georgia Atlanta (capital) |
|---|---|
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