 In a show of unity, Senate Democratic Leader Steve Henson seconded the nomination.Shafer's election was widely seen as an end to two years of infighting between Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle and a faction of the Senate Republican Caucus led by the outgoing Senate President Pro Tem Tommie Williams and Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Bill Cowsert.Williams did not seek re-election, backing Cowsert who was defeated within the Senate Republican Caucus by a reported vote of 25 to 11.