David Shafer

Father, husband, Catholic convert, former state senator and immediate past chairman of the Georgia Republican Party. Enjoying exoneration.

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

Congratulations, Mr. President!

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

@William070498 I do not like him either but he was an American president and should not be disrespected by foreigners.

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

This outrages me as an American.

[Breaking911 @Breaking911]

Joe Biden was pelted with milk cartons in Dublin, Ireland, as he took cover behind an umbrella. Police wrestled with protesters while he was rushed into his SUV.

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

@DougReamsma Read the article.

[Anna Caroline @acsoldan]

@DavidShafer Two great patriots!!

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

Visiting with friends today in the Nation's Capital.

[Rosetta Stone Communications @RSCPolling]

First Georgia Republican Presidential Preference survey of the 2028 cycle. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is nearly tied with Vice President JD Vance.

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

Congratulations to the new White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller!

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

@The_Skald_Sings I am not saying I agree with everything he said or that any of it was particularly revelatory. But it is honest.

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

This is well worth the time to read. It is an honest assessment of what went wrong in 2026 - something you seldom see from politicians who are still in power.

[JD Vance @JDVance]

One of the things the data analysts on our side obsessed over was "composition"—whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win. And despite polls that showed a Democrat blowout, the data kept on telling us the same story: in some states turnout was merely OK, in other states it was downright amazing, and in no state was it catastrophic. There was a genuine sense of optimism on our team: our people were showing up.

So, I asked the smartest data guy I know, does that mean we're going to shock the world? "No," he told me. "We might do better than the polls suggest. But the data is telling us that a lot of Trump/Vance 2024 voters are pissed and planning to vote for the other guys. Our voters are turning out, but they may not vote for us."

Well, that looks prophetic now. Our voters did show up. In Florida, for example, the electorate was 9 points more Republican than Democrat, just a couple points worse than 2024. Undoubtedly there were places we could have done better on turnout. But the main problem is not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026.

There will be a lot of infighting and arguing over what happened and why that is. One of the pollsters I really respect told me that our economic messaging wasn’t sharp enough down the stretch. I’m sure that’s true.

But the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone.

Another pollster—one of the smartest people I know in politics, told me yesterday we’d lose the generic ballot by 13 points. I felt negative going into Tuesday, but even I was shocked by this. In his polling, he saw that a lot of Trump 2024 voters were angry and planning to vote for Democrats. He asked those voters who had abandoned us what would cause them to come back on our team. The top four answers, accounting for nearly all of the responses were:

1) End the war
2) Focus on cost of living/inflation
3) Put America First
4) Change our relationship to Israel

Our voters showed up. And the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats. This is according to a pollster who nailed the results. While many spent Monday attacking Rachel Campos Duffy for calling for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, it turns out her political advice was sound. (She’s also a great person.)

In the next few months, there's going to be a lot of gaslighting. Expect to hear any number of establishment politicians say the solution to our woes is amnesty. I'm open to the idea that we should change enforcement—by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labor, for instance. But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you.

The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.

If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest.

But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.

I remain hopeful about our country. To the people who are pissed off and want to say, “I told you so”: you’re right, you did tell us so. Take that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview. To the people who are just pissed at the results, you should be. Let’s take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country.

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

Many of these elections are turning out differently than I hoped. To those of you who share my disappointment, take heart. God has a plan for each of us and for all of us, and He remains in control.

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

The pace of voting should pick up in the next two hours. Please vote!

[Rosetta Stone Communications @RSCPolling]

5PM UPDATE: Georgia election day voters surpass 1 million.

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

I voted @BRHforGeorgia and the Republican ticket from top to bottom.

[Bárbara Rivera Holmes @BRHforGeorgia]

Georgia, this is it! Today is the day we decide to keep our state moving forward, and I'm asking for your vote. Find your polling location at https://t.co/nWLPoIDJ1x, and let's win BIG for Georgia!

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

There are many turnout models and none of them ever get it exactly right. But here is my take on the Governor’s race. If historical election day voting patterns hold, a 1.45 million vote turnout is a statistical dead heat. Anything above that is good for the Republicans. Vote!

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

@tjstole My default is: If I cannot explain in my own words why it is a good idea, I vote no.

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

Vote!

[Josh McKoon 🇺🇸 🇹🇼 🇮🇱 @JoshMcKoon]

Polls are now open!

Vote, vote, vote!

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

@BigPapaDykes There are six different options of “I voted” stickers and most included multiple languages. I chose the one with the @StevePenleyArt painting.

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

My wife and I voted today at Chattahoochee Elementary School in Duluth. Two more straight Republican votes.

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

Voted today for @MikeCollinsGA, @RickJacksonGA, @DolezalForGA and the entire Republican ticket!

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

Republicans historically lose early voting and win on Election Day. The Georgia vote model I am tracking suggests we need at least 1.45 million votes cast today to overcome the Democratic advantage in early voting. Be sure to vote!

[Rosetta Stone Communications @RSCPolling]

10:30 update: Over 300,000 votes have been cast today in Georgia. This turnout puts Georgia on target to surpass 1.45 million votes.

[David Shafer @DavidShafer]

Vote!

[Rosetta Stone Communications @RSCPolling]

Georgia is on track to reach 1.45 million votes on election day.