For years and years, David Shafer’s Senate District 48 seat was as reliably red as a seat could be. He ran unopposed in 2008 and again every election until 2018, when he gave it up to run for Lt. Governor.
Michelle Au
The Johns Creek/Duluth seat was swept away by the blue wave that rolled across Georgia’s suburbs in the 2018 midterms, with Zahra Karinshak defeating Republican Matt Reeves 54 percent to 46 percent. Karinshak shortly thereafter announced she would not be running for reelection to the state senate, instead turning her sights to CD-7, where she lost handily to Carolyn Bourdeaux in the Democratic primary.
So SD-48 finds itself up for grabs once more, with Democrats seeking to hold onto the wealthy suburban seat and Republicans vying to flip it back in their favor.
Matt Reeves
Matt Reeves, an attorney at Andersen, Tate & Carr, is back on the ticket for the GOP, preaching “fiscal conservatism and bi-partisan problem solving” to a purple district with red roots. He has also run on a platform of maintaining and fully funding the HOPE Scholarship, something he has accused his opponent of shying away from. He has worked hard to court minority voters in what has become a highly diverse district, one where he hopes his message of bipartisanship will resonate.
That opponent, Dr. Michelle Au, is looking to become the first Asian American woman to serve as a state senator in Georgia. An anesthesiologist by trade, she has naturally pushed her healthcare bonafides, both as they relate to COVID-19 as well as other healthcare issues facing the state such as Medicaid expansion.
Au has been up front about her desire to be a Progressive voice under the Gold Dome, and the Reeves campaign has pointed to some of her past writings and blog posts that “don’t reflect the values of Gwinnett and North Fulton.” The battle lines are drawn.
Which candidate best represents the swing district will be decided Tuesday.
