# Georgia State Senate — District 48 — 2026 Candidates — The GA Files > Where the 2026 candidates for Georgia State Senate — District 48 stand — bio, prior offices, top donors, positions on DEI, LGBTQ+, abortion, and data centers, plus any scandals. Sourced. *Source: https://thegafiles.com/candidates/senate-district-48.html · The GA Files (thegafiles.com)* --- [← 2026 Candidates](https://thegafiles.com/candidates.html) # Georgia State Senate — District 48 D ### Laura Murvartian Democratic nominee · business executive, nonprofit founder Laura Murvartian immigrated from Mexico to Minnesota at age 8. She holds a bachelor's in political science from Hamline University and a master's in public policy and international economics from the University of Michigan, began her career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and held corporate roles at Equifax, Turner, BellSouth and MCI before founding the nonprofit Arte GA in 2023. A Johns Creek resident, she is married with children. She was the Democratic nominee for House District 48 in 2024, losing to Rep. Scott Hilton, and won the May 2026 Democratic primary for this seat over Nathan Hombroek. #### Previously held - 2024 Democratic nominee, House District 48 - Founder, Arte GA - Former corporate executive — Equifax, Turner, BellSouth, MCI #### Top contributors $100,290 raised — about three-quarters of Still's total — with $31,680 in the bank. Her largest single donor is herself, followed by the campaign committees of Democratic legislators Susie Greenberg and Elena Parent and individual donors. - $5,600.00 — Laura Murvartian (Johns Creek, GA — the candidate) - $3,800.00 — Friends of Susie Greenberg (Sandy Springs, GA) - $3,300.00 — Friends of Elena Parent (Atlanta, GA) - $3,300.00 — Michael Rhim (Johns Creek, GA) - $3,300.00 — Ashwin Ramaswami (San Francisco, CA) - $3,000.00 — Sonjui Kumar (Brookhaven, GA) - $3,000.00 — Kelly Veney Darnell (Washington, DC) - $2,500.00 — Jeffrey Ellman (Atlanta, GA) - $2,500.00 — Michael St. Louis (Atlanta, GA) **$100,290** raised · **$31,680** cash on hand — as of **Sep 14, 2026** (GA Ethics latest filing). Source: [Georgia Ethics Commission (PeachFile) — cycle-to-date, Sept. 14, 2026](https://peachfile.ethics.ga.gov/) · [BallotReady — Laura Murvartian](https://www.ballotready.org/people/laura-murvartian) · [Wikipedia — 2026 Georgia State Senate election (2024 presidential margins by district)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Georgia_State_Senate_election) #### Where they stand Education “Access to quality early education can put these children on a path to success, with positive impacts for children, families, and all Georgians.” Source: [BallotReady — Laura Murvartian](https://www.ballotready.org/people/laura-murvartian) Healthcare “I want all Georgians to have reliable access to quality healthcare. Together, we must expand Medicaid, bring down costs.” Source: [BallotReady — Laura Murvartian](https://www.ballotready.org/people/laura-murvartian) · [Laura Murvartian — campaign site](https://www.lauramurvartian.com/) Minimum Wage We reviewed her campaign site, BallotReady profile and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. On the economy she calls for “expanded public transportation, incentives for small businesses, a prepared workforce.” Source: [BallotReady — Laura Murvartian](https://www.ballotready.org/people/laura-murvartian) Homelessness We reviewed her campaign site, BallotReady profile and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Laura Murvartian — campaign site](https://www.lauramurvartian.com/) Veterans Affairs We reviewed her campaign site, BallotReady profile and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Laura Murvartian — campaign site](https://www.lauramurvartian.com/) Immigration We reviewed her campaign site, BallotReady profile and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [BallotReady — Laura Murvartian](https://www.ballotready.org/people/laura-murvartian) · [Laura Murvartian — campaign site](https://www.lauramurvartian.com/) Gun Control “We must do everything we can to protect our children from senseless gun violence. I will not accept the fear that many of us live with.” Source: [BallotReady — Laura Murvartian](https://www.ballotready.org/people/laura-murvartian) Abortion We reviewed her campaign site, BallotReady profile and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [BallotReady — Laura Murvartian](https://www.ballotready.org/people/laura-murvartian) · [Laura Murvartian — campaign site](https://www.lauramurvartian.com/) LGBTQ+ We reviewed her campaign site, BallotReady profile and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [BallotReady — Laura Murvartian](https://www.ballotready.org/people/laura-murvartian) · [Laura Murvartian — campaign site](https://www.lauramurvartian.com/) DEI We reviewed her campaign site, BallotReady profile and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. On voting, she pledges to “remove barriers to the ballot box.” Source: [BallotReady — Laura Murvartian](https://www.ballotready.org/people/laura-murvartian) Marijuana We reviewed her campaign site, BallotReady profile and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [BallotReady — Laura Murvartian](https://www.ballotready.org/people/laura-murvartian) Data centers We reviewed her campaign site, BallotReady profile and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [BallotReady — Laura Murvartian](https://www.ballotready.org/people/laura-murvartian) #### Accountability File None documented. [Campaign site](https://www.lauramurvartian.com/) · [BallotReady profile](https://www.ballotready.org/people/laura-murvartian) R ### Shawn Still Republican incumbent · pool-construction business owner; former state GOP finance chair Shawn Still, a Johns Creek Republican born in Jacksonville, Florida, owns a swimming-pool construction business in Gwinnett County that employs more than 100 people and a rafting company in Bryson City, North Carolina, and earned a communications degree from the University of Alabama. He was finance chairman of the Georgia Republican Party before winning this seat in 2022, and was re-elected in 2024 with more than 53%. In August 2023 he was one of 16 Georgia Republicans indicted in the Fulton County election-interference case over the 2020 “fake elector” certificate; he pleaded not guilty, and the case was dismissed in its entirety on November 26, 2025, without a trial. #### Previously held - State Senator, District 48 (2023–present) - Former finance chairman, Georgia Republican Party - Owner, swimming-pool construction business #### Top contributors $129,201 raised this cycle and $136,019 in the bank, and his committee reports $540,000 in outstanding loans. His largest donors are health-care, road-building, film-industry and dental PACs, plus the Senate Republican caucus committee and Sen. Jason Anavitarte's campaign. - $6,300.00 — AMR Holdco Inc (Greenwood Village, CO) - $5,800.00 — Georgia Highway Contractors Association PAC (Alpharetta, GA) - $5,000.00 — GHA PAC — Georgia Hospital Association PAC (Atlanta, GA) - $4,000.00 — Georgia Reel Industry Professionals, Inc. (Atlanta, GA) - $3,300.00 — Georgia Dental Association PAC (Marietta, GA) - $3,300.00 — Peter Quinones (Marietta, GA) - $3,300.00 — Georgia Republican Senatorial Committee (Roswell, GA) - $3,300.00 — Committee to Elect Jason Anavitarte (Dallas, GA — Sen. Jason Anavitarte's committee) - $3,300.00 — The Southeast Permanente Medical Group State PAC (Atlanta, GA) - $3,300.00 — The Georgia Medical PAC (Atlanta, GA) **$129,201** raised · **$136,019** cash on hand — as of **Sep 14, 2026** (GA Ethics latest filing). Source: [Georgia Ethics Commission (PeachFile) — cycle-to-date, Sept. 14, 2026](https://peachfile.ethics.ga.gov/) · [GA Files fact sheet — Shawn Still](https://thegafiles.com/ShawnStill.html) · [Wikipedia — Shawn Still](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawn_Still) · [Atlanta News First — Trump's historic Georgia indictment ends (Nov. 26, 2025)](https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/11/26/president-donald-trumps-historic-georgia-indictment-ends/) #### Where they stand Education We reviewed his legislative record, Senate biography and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [GA Files fact sheet — Shawn Still](https://thegafiles.com/ShawnStill.html) Healthcare We reviewed his legislative record, Senate biography and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. He voted YES on HB 428 (2025), the state IVF-access right. Source: [GA Files fact sheet — Shawn Still](https://thegafiles.com/ShawnStill.html) · [Georgia General Assembly — Senate roll-call votes](https://www.legis.ga.gov/votes/senate) Minimum Wage We reviewed his legislative record, Senate biography and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. He voted YES on HB 111 (2025), accelerating Georgia's income-tax cut. Source: [GA Files fact sheet — Shawn Still](https://thegafiles.com/ShawnStill.html) · [Georgia General Assembly — Senate roll-call votes](https://www.legis.ga.gov/votes/senate) Homelessness Voted YES on HB 295 (2026), which restricts unsanctioned public camping and sleeping and pushes local governments toward enforcement. Source: [GA Files fact sheet — Shawn Still](https://thegafiles.com/ShawnStill.html) · [Georgia General Assembly — Senate roll-call votes](https://www.legis.ga.gov/votes/senate) Veterans Affairs We reviewed his legislative record, Senate biography and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [GA Files fact sheet — Shawn Still](https://thegafiles.com/ShawnStill.html) Immigration We reviewed his legislative record, Senate biography and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [GA Files fact sheet — Shawn Still](https://thegafiles.com/ShawnStill.html) Gun Control We reviewed his legislative record, Senate biography and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [GA Files fact sheet — Shawn Still](https://thegafiles.com/ShawnStill.html) Abortion We reviewed his legislative record, Senate biography and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Georgia's 2019 six-week law predates his tenure. He voted YES on HB 428, protecting IVF access. Source: [GA Files fact sheet — Shawn Still](https://thegafiles.com/ShawnStill.html) · [Georgia General Assembly — Senate roll-call votes](https://www.legis.ga.gov/votes/senate) LGBTQ+ Voted YES on SB 1 (2025), which bars transgender women and girls from female school and college sports teams; YES on SB 140 (2023), which bans gender-affirming care for transgender minors; and YES on SB 39 (2025), which would have barred state funds, including the State Health Benefit Plan and Medicaid, from paying for gender-affirming care for state employees and prisoners. Source: [GA Files fact sheet — Shawn Still](https://thegafiles.com/ShawnStill.html) · [Georgia General Assembly — Senate roll-call votes](https://www.legis.ga.gov/votes/senate) DEI We reviewed his legislative record, Senate biography and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. He co-sponsored SB 390 (2024), legislation to withhold government funding from Georgia libraries affiliated with the American Library Association, citing concerns about the group's leadership and ideology. Source: [Wikipedia — Shawn Still](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawn_Still) Marijuana Voted YES on SB 220 (2026), the bipartisan expansion of Georgia's low-THC medical cannabis program. Source: [GA Files fact sheet — Shawn Still](https://thegafiles.com/ShawnStill.html) · [Georgia General Assembly — Senate roll-call votes](https://www.legis.ga.gov/votes/senate) Data centers We reviewed his legislative record, Senate biography and campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [GA Files fact sheet — Shawn Still](https://thegafiles.com/ShawnStill.html) #### PPP loan Forgiven **$787,100** — Still Pool Construction, Inc. (Norcross, GA), April 2020. The pool-construction company Sen. Still owns and leads took a $787,100 PPP loan, forgiven in November 2020. Sources - [Georgia Bankers Assn. — SBA PPP >$150K disclosure](https://resources.gabankers.com/downloads/GA%20PPP%20Over%20150000%20080820.pdf) - [pppreport.org](https://pppreport.org/location/GA/NORCROSS) #### Accountability File None documented. [Full legislator fact sheet](https://thegafiles.com/ShawnStill.html) · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawn_Still) [⬇ Share image](https://thegafiles.com/share/candidates/senate-district-48.png) [⬇ Download for offline](https://thegafiles.com/candidates/senate-district-48.offline.html) Every entry is drawn from published reporting, official records, or the candidate's own statements, with sources on each item. Policy summaries are condensed from that reporting and reflect the candidate's stated positions; where a matter is an allegation or unresolved, that is noted, and inclusion is not a finding of guilt. Contributor figures are early/partial where the official itemized filings (Georgia Ethics Commission) are still being compiled. Corrections welcome via the contact link in the footer. Last updated 2026-06-17.