Young Democrat Aims to Unseat Indicted Republican in Suburban Atlanta Senate Race

A young Democratic candidate from Georgia is garnering significant national support and funding by positioning a suburban Atlanta senate race as a crucial opportunity to unseat a Republican labeled as an “election denier.”

The Republican incumbent, Shawn Still, was one of the 18 people indicted alongside Donald Trump in Fulton County, Georgia, in 2023. However, Still contends that his first-time opponent, Ashwin Ramaswami, is wrongfully accusing him of being involved in a partisan conspiracy.

While the race is unlikely to affect the Republican-controlled Georgia Senate, which holds a 33-23 majority due to gerrymandering, Democrats view this race as a chance to weaken Republican support in suburban Atlanta. They aim to attract voters who are disillusioned with Trump and his refusal to accept the 2020 election results. This race will be a test of whether Democrats can replicate their success in statewide races in local elections.

Unlike President Joe Biden, who has actively campaigned against election denial, Vice President Kamala Harris has not emphasized this issue in her campaign. Nonetheless, Democrats continue to frame themselves as the protectors of democracy against Republican threats.

Still was among three Trump electors charged with felonies in Fulton County, alongside Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and 14 other Trump associates. Prosecutors have labeled the 16 Republicans who met in the Georgia Capitol in December 2020 as “fake electors.”

Ashwin Ramaswami, a 25-year-old candidate who studied computer science at Stanford University, learned about Still’s involvement while he was still in law school last year. Ramaswami said he was working on a similar case in Wisconsin when he recognized Still’s name from testimony before the House Jan. 6 committee. “There’s this pattern of Shawn Still really trying to undermine our votes, of Democrats and Republicans alike,” Ramaswami said.

Still, however, argues that Ramaswami is unfairly portraying him as an anti-democratic extremist. “I think that’s all he has to run on. So he’s going to punch me in the face with that singular thing,” Still said. “There’s no merit to it.”

The district, designed to favor Republicans, spans northern Atlanta suburbs in Fulton, Forsyth, and Gwinnett counties. However, two years ago, Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock won this district over Trump-backed Herschel Walker, despite voters supporting Republican Governor Brian Kemp and Still defeating his Democratic challenger by 14 points. Ramaswami hopes to replicate Warnock’s success by appealing to voters who are uneasy about Trump and by connecting with the district’s sizable Indian population, which constitutes over 30% of the area—the highest proportion in Georgia.

Ramaswami’s campaign has raised more than $460,000, a substantial sum for a legislative race, with many contributions coming from out-of-state donors. In contrast, Still has raised just over $145,000, though Republican organizations might inject more funds if they perceive Still to be at risk.

During the 2020 Trump elector meeting, Still served as the secretary, signing and filing documents that prosecutors claim were fraudulent. Still maintains that he acted on the advice of party officials and lawyers to safeguard Trump’s legal options amidst a lawsuit challenging Georgia’s election outcome. “I would characterize my involvement as being a good soldier who did what he was told to do and was following the advice of attorneys who do this for a living,” Still said.

He also emphasized that his involvement was limited to that meeting. “I build swimming pools for a living,” Still said. “I don’t think anyone really thought for half a second that I was some political mastermind plotting anything that led to what happened.”

Ramaswami, however, criticizes Still for going along with what he views as illegal actions by his colleagues, calling him a “useful idiot for the Republican party.” Ramaswami also points to other actions Still took after the 2020 election, such as a lawsuit he filed contesting results in Georgia’s Coffee County shortly before the electors met. Additionally, Ramaswami argues that Still failed to adequately accept responsibility during his testimony before the Jan. 6 Committee.

If elected, Ramaswami says he would focus on “common sense” solutions to issues such as gun violence, healthcare, and abortion rights, with one of his top priorities being investment in education. “We need as a community to look into investing in our future, not on relitigating the past,” he said.

Ramaswami believes his experience in cybersecurity, where he has interned under leaders from both parties, would help him build bipartisan relationships. He has interned with Republican Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s office and also worked with the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, where he claims to have assisted in protecting local election officials and small businesses from cyber attacks.

Still, who is 51, has been a dependable Republican vote during his first two-year term but claims he has engaged with Democrats and demonstrated a “desire and willingness to work with both sides of the aisle.” He has largely refrained from making partisan remarks on the Senate floor.

Still considers his most significant legislative achievement to be a law that allows students to transfer to a different public school district without needing permission from their current district. This provision was included in a bill primarily aimed at creating a $6,500 voucher for private school tuition and homeschooling. Still says he wants to remain in office to work on issues such as human trafficking.

Still also questioned Ramaswami’s qualifications for office, stating, “He’s not remotely qualified to be a state senator. He hasn’t lived in the district since he graduated high school. He has no life experience. He’s done nothing. His only jobs have been internships. He has accomplished nothing for himself by himself.”

Despite Still’s experience, some conservative voters are hesitant to support him. Bisvas Pokala, an information technology professional, usually leans Republican but is undecided due to Still’s indictment, expressing that he’s “very concerned about it.”

Pokala was working at a booth during the Festival of India in suburban Duluth in July, where Ramaswami was seen mingling with vendors and shoppers. Many recognized Ramaswami and waved to him.

Ram Raju, a vendor and Democrat, noted that while many Indians in the business community tend to lean Republican, he believes Still is not contentious enough to lose the support of party loyalists. However, Ramaswami believes he can help voters of all backgrounds see through Still’s actions.

“The fact that Shawn Still is now trying to portray himself as a moderate and really distance himself from what’s going on is evidence that it’s something he wants to stay away from, and it is something which the voters don’t approve of,” Ramaswami said.

Still, meanwhile, has developed many relationships in the district. Dilip Mehra, a festival vendor and Still supporter, recalled Still’s outreach at a business event. “He said, ‘if you have any problem, if your community has any problem, if you want any help from us, please come to me,’” Mehra said. “He seemed like a very nice person.”