Percentage of Influence Dollars: This percentage is based on the campaign donations identified by the Project as being from “influencers” (lobbyist expenditures are not included) divided by the Total Itemized Campaign Funds Raised.

Total Campaign Funds Raised: This dollar amount is the total of all the campaign funds raised and reported to the state ethics commission by Commissioner Shaw since he was appointed by Governor Kemp in January 2019. For this Project, this number also does not include loans from the candidate to the campaign or aggregated campaign contributions under $100 because the sources of those funds are not reported per campaign finance law and therefore are not able to be tracked as influence dollars or not. The amount does include itemized in-kind contributions, which are presented separately on the campaign finance report.

Total Influence Dollars are the combination of all lobbyist expenditures plus campaign contributions from individuals and entities that we have identified as those regulated by the PSC, have a business relationship with an entity regulated by the PSC or are looking to influence a decision made by the PSC. Commissioner Shaw’s Total Influence Dollars date back to the start of his previous term, which began in January 2019 when he was appointed by Governor Kemp to fill a vacancy on the commission. He was elected to the PSC in 2020.  Some campaign donors could not be immediately identified as influencers and will require additional research to uncover any relationships that would make them an “influencer”, so check back often as we expect this number to grow.

Notes of Interest:

• Shaw’s percentage of Influence Dollars skyrocketed during his election year, jumping from the beginning of the project 52% to 67% as special interest money poured in as the 2020 election season closed out. His somewhat recent service in the legislature can be seen from his contributions as contributors to his PSC campaign seem to have carried over from relationships built in the legislature, however, those contributors decreased as contributors tied to regulated entities increased. 
• Shaw seems to be the most popular commissioner with lobbyists. He has the highest yearly average of lobbyist gifts of all commissioners, with lobbyists spending $1,483.36 per year on lunches, dinners and other gifts.
• He has raised an astonishing $58,689.70 from other politicians (compared to the Commissioner with the second highest total, McDonald, at $20,325.00).