Gwinnett Daily Post

Shafer takes Senate seat

LAWRENCEVILLE — David Shafer of Duluth on Tuesday emerged victorious from a crowded field of candidates seeking the District 48 state Senate seat.
Shafer received more than 50 percent of the votes cast to take the win, avoiding a possible runoff election in March, according to unofficial results.
The District 48 race included precincts in Gwinnett, Forsyth and Fulton. The majority are based in Gwinnett.
Defeated candidates Nathan Warnock of Buford, J.D. Elliott of Duluth and Bobby Reese of Sugar Hill could come back later this year to run against Shafer.
Tuesday’s vote was to fill the unexpired term of former Senator Billy Ray, who  resigned to take a local judgeship.
In Gwinnett, Shafer received more than 55 percent of the more than 6,100 votes cast. He took more than 80 percent of the Fulton vote and almost 50 percent in Forsyth.
Shafer said he was thankful for the people that supported him and he hopes to be sworn in soon to provide representation for the residents of District 48.
“This is not a victory for me,” Shafer said. “It’s a victory for everything we can do to protect our quality of life.”
While Shafer was a former candidate for Georgia’s Secretary of State position, Tuesday’s vote put him in elected office for the first time.
Shafer, a Republican, owns a corporate public relations firm. He is married and has a stepson and a daughter.
Reese, who resigned from the state House to seek the Senate seat, said he was disappointed with the outcome, but he accepts the vote as the peoples’ decision.
Reese, a real estate agent, said he has not decided whether he will run against Shafer later.
“I just want to take some time off and get my business going again,” Reese said. “Right now, I probably need to minister to my family and make a little money — get things in balance again.”
Elliott, a communications consultant, said his fellow Democrats were “asleep at the switch” during this election. He said he is not sure if he will run for this office again.
“If all the people that called for me showed up, we would have had a lot higher percentage,” Elliott said. “I’m very disappointed in the Democrats. But I am satisfied that I set the tone for the issues.”
Warnock, a mortgage banker, said he has already decided that this contest will not be his last.
“There was a reason for (Shafer) winning, but I’ll be back in April to try it again,” Warnock said.
Vote totals in Gwinnett matched pre-election predictions at slightly less than 6 percent participated.
Election supervisor Lynn Ledford said she was “very disappointed” with the low turnout.
“This was a very important race, but nobody went out to vote,” Ledford said.
Jeff Corbin can be reached via e-mail at jeff.corbin@gwinnettdailypost.com