About David

David Shafer was first elected to the Georgia State Senate in special election held February 12, 2002.  His district then included substantial portions of Gwinnett, Forsyth and Fulton Counties. Re-elected in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008, Shafer now represents the cities of Berkeley Lake and Duluth in Gwinnett County and the cities of Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Milton in Fulton County.

Shafer serves as Chairman of the Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee and Vice Chairman of the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee.  He formerly served as Chairman of the Senate Science and Technology Committee and as Administration Floor Leader for Governor Sonny Perdue.

Raised in DeKalb County, Shafer attended DeKalb County Public Schools.  He studied government at the University of Georgia, graduating with a degree in political science.  He served on the UGA Young Alumni Council and the Board of Directors of the UGA Alumni Association. He is a member of the President’s Club.

Shafer has made Gwinnett County his home since graduating from college and lives in Duluth with his wife Lee, stepson J.W. and daughter Ellie. The Shafers attend Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church. [Pictured: David with Ellie at the annual Shafer family reading of `The Night Before Christmas` on Christmas Eve 2008]

A small businessman, Shafer serves on the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Rotary Club of Gwinnett County.

Long active in his local community, Shafer served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Gwinnett County Library System and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the former Gwinnett-Forsyth Regional Library System. He has also served on the Board of Directors of United Cerebral Palsy of  Greater Atlanta and the Partnership Against Domestic Violence (formerly Georgia Council on Battered Women).

Shafer served as Executive Director of the Georgia Republican Party in the early 1990s, helping lay the groundwork for breakthrough Republican victories in 1992 and 1994.  Shafer first ran for public office in 1996, winning the Republican nomination in a special statewide election for Secretary of State. He campaigned on a platform of fighting voter fraud, and his centerpiece idea of requiring voters to show identification when they vote, was passed into law in 1997.