Former Georgia State Sen. Vincent Fort, the Democratic leader known for his championing of economic and racial equality, has died from cancer at age 68.
Fort served in the Georgia Senate from 1997 to 2017, representing the 39th District, which includes parts of Atlanta, East Point, and South Fulton County. He made unsuccessful bids to become Atlanta’s mayor and the U.S. House of Representatives.
Fort played a critical role in passing the Georgia Fair Lending Act and was an advocate for a hate crimes bill that was finally signed into law in 2020. He was frequently at odds with fellow Democrats – especially when he backed Bernie Sanders for president over Hillary Clinton – and with Republicans over issues like health care, increasing the minimum wage, and police policy…