GA SD-48 State Senate, Georgia
GA SD-48
Rubric: 5 Championed · 4 Supportive · 3 Mixed / limited · 2 Leaning against · 1 Opposed · NR Bounded search
GA SD-48 race breakdown
Georgia State Senate District 48 (southern Forsyth County; parts of north Fulton (Johns Creek, Milton); a Gwinnett sliver) SD-48 is 31.4% non-Hispanic Asian (2020-24 ACS; margin of error ±1.3 points), per the Atlanta Regional Commission. Johns Creek's 15.4% Indian, 9.2% Chinese and 4.2% Korean figures are older city-resident shares (Esri 2020 / ACS 2019), not district or eligible-voter shares. (ARC; Johns Creek).
Competitiveness Lean R. Still won 2024 with ~53% over Ashwin Ramaswami in an R+4.6 district. The DLCC named SD-48 one of three Georgia Senate target races and later included Laura Murvartian on its October Top 10 list. Legal context: Still was indicted in August 2023 in the Fulton County 2020-election interference case as a 2020 'alternate elector.' On Nov 26, 2025 the case was dismissed at the special prosecutor's request, citing insufficient evidence of criminal intent.
Shawn Still Republican · Incumbent since 2023
Owner of Olympic Pool Plastering; former GA GOP finance chairman; succeeded Sen. Michelle Au (D).
Voted YEA on SB 116 (2025-26), which requires DNA sampling of people charged with crimes who are under ICE detainers. Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta tracked the bill as "Oppose" (Senate passed 33-20, Feb 25, 2026). The GPS accountability scorecard verifies his yes vote. One enforcement vote, no sponsored immigration bills, no visa statements found. Leaning against (AAJC-Atlanta tracker; GPS scorecard; WABE, Apr 2026).
Zoning is municipal in Johns Creek and Forsyth, so he has no density or development votes. The one documented neighborhood-quality item is his SB 145, the "LEAF Act" (2023), which would have barred cities and counties from regulating gas-powered leaf blowers. It passed the Senate on February 27, 2023 and the House on March 27, then stalled over amendments; it did not become law. Similar leaf-blower preemption language was enacted in HB 374 (May 2023), which Still did not author (LegiScan; GA Legislature). Rating basis: Leaf-blower equipment preemption does not establish a position on housing, zoning, development or a land-use protection. It is context rather than housing-score evidence.
Touts SB 233 (Georgia Promise Scholarship, $6,500 private-school vouchers) on his issues page and authored SB 124 extending school choice to military families. Co-sponsored SB 390 (2024), which would have barred public libraries from spending state money on American Library Association dues or programs, a book/library-restriction measure. No AANHPI-curriculum record; Georgia has no such mandate (shawnstill.com).
No sponsored legislation, vote or statement found on multilingual services. Gwinnett County provides English/Spanish ballot services countywide and separate Asian-language outreach; those county services are not attributed to Still.
First-listed author on the introduced SB 375 (2025), proposing a Hinduphobia definition for anti-discrimination enforcement and bias-motive penalty decisions. The text preserves protected speech and creates no new cause of action. It did not become law: the latest tracked action is Senate referral April 4, 2025. This is a relevant anti-hate proposal, not proof of a general anti-Asian-hate plan. (introduced text; tracked status; NRI Pulse). Rating basis: First-listed authorship of anti-Hindu-discrimination/bias-motive legislation is an anti- hate record. Did not become law; preserve free-speech limits and debate.
Laura Murvartian Democrat
Immigrant businesswoman who arrived from Mexico at age 8. Former Fortune 500 executive (Turner Broadcasting/Equifax). Founder of Arte GA; 2024 GA House nominee. Won her primary with 63.7%.
Rated on statements only. Her platform's "Government Overreach" section criticizes the federal government for "building ICE detention centers in Georgia without the input of any state or local officials," and argues state and local government should not stand by. A community-first stance on immigration enforcement with no policy specifics and no track record (lauramurvartian.com).
Rated on statements only. Her platform supports affordable housing, expanded public transportation, and attacks state preemption: "when they don't like what local municipalities are doing, they step in with preemption laws that override our mayors and city councils." Applied to land use, that favors neighborhood-level control. Supportive platform, zero legislative record (lauramurvartian.com).
Rated on statements only. Her "Thriving Schools" plank lists early literacy (3rd-grade reading), higher teacher pay and per-student spending, and school gun-violence prevention. She founded Fiesta De Libros, a community children's-literacy library at Plaza Fiesta. No AANHPI-history-curriculum position found; no votes ever cast. Rating basis: Specific early literacy, teacher pay and per-student spending commitments. Statement- only but specific supportive funding positions meet 4.
No verifiable policy record. Her priorities pages contain no multilingual-government or ballot-access plank and no statements were found. Bilingual community library work is not a government language-access position.
Rated on statements only (no prior office). She signed the Georgia Majority for Gun Safety 2026 candidate pledge: secure storage, universal background checks and community violence-intervention funding. Her platform includes a "Safe Schools" gun-violence plank. Specific, signed violence-prevention support; nothing found on hate crimes, the Atlanta spa shootings or anti-Asian violence (GA Majority signers; pledge text). Rating basis: Signed specific secure-storage, background-check and community violence-intervention pledge. BroadJustice counts specified violence prevention, not only anti-AAPI legislation.