Vincent Fort, Graham Balch face off in Senate District 39 election
Veteran Dem faces first opponent in 12 years
by Thomas Wheatley
Joeff Davis
TWO RIVALS: Vincent Fort boasts his experience; challenger Graham Balch says he's a consensus-builder.
For the first time in more than a decade, state Sen. Vincent Fort, one of Atlanta's most progressive and pugnacious state lawmakers, is facing a brawl to keep his seat.
And the seven-term Democratic lawmaker's biggest threat isn't a tea party knuckle-dragger or a Republican poster boy. He's a first-time political hopeful — and fellow Democrat — on whom the downtown business establishment has helped shower more than $100,000 in contributions in hopes of unseating the Gold Dome's resident firebrand.
With less than two weeks to go until the July 20 Democratic primary, Fort and his challenger, 36-year-old high school biology teacher Graham Balch, have ramped up heated campaigns in what observers say could be one of the state's more competitive races.
For voters, the decision will essentially come down to whether they want a battle-tested Democrat who's challenged the status quo or a new breed of progressive who promises to be a consensus-builder.
With no Republican or independents on the November ballot, whoever emerges victorious in the primary will represent District 39, a diverse Democratic stronghold that stretches from Brookhaven in the north to East Point in the south and includes parts of conservative Buckhead, youthful Midtown and predominantly African-American southwest Atlanta.
In 2002, Fort partnered with then-Gov. Roy Barnes to pass one of the country's toughest anti-predatory lending laws — dismantled by Republicans one year later. Over the years, the bespectacled college history professor has stood alongside protestors rallying for such causes as arts funding, the anti-war movement and mortgage reform — sometimes even getting arrested for his efforts.
But Fort earned the ire of Atlanta's business elite when he fought their successful 2007 effort to privatize Grady Memorial Hospital, the state's largest public hospital. In one widely publicized confrontation, Fort was hauled away in handcuffs by police after loudly disrupting a Grady board meeting.
"The 14 years I've been in the Legislature, I've been a change agent," Fort says. "I've been someone who's not afraid to stand up to the good ole boys for the constituents I serve."
But he's not just an agitator, he adds. Fort, who benefits from his incumbent status and endorsements from numerous groups including Georgia Equality, points to what he says is a record of bringing funding to the district. Most notably: nearly $33 million in the last four years for Atlanta Metropolitan College and Atlanta Technical College — $10 million of which he says he eked out of this year's historically lean budget.
Balch, a Wharton grad and Peace Corps vet who left a job as a business consultant to teach biology at Grady High School, says he can work with Republicans to make incremental steps toward making Georgia a more progressive — and ultimately Democrat-controlled — state.
"We need Democrats who can reach out and regain the votes the Democratic Party has lost in the state if we want to do the things" — gay marriage, state funding for transit — "to make Georgia a just state," Balch, who's running on an education and jobs platform, says. "We'll never have that with Fort as a senator."
Since beginning his campaign last year, Balch has picked up considerable support from across the district. But the names that stand out on Balch's contribution disclosure forms are those in the business community who wrangled with Fort in the effort to privatize Grady Memorial Hospital: Metro Chamber of Commerce President Sam Williams; former Atlanta City Council President and current Grady Foundation President Lisa Borders; former Cousins Properties CEO Tom Bell; and former Georgia-Pacific CEO Pete Correll.
With weeks until polls close, both candidates have begun blasting each other in quotes to the press and glossy mailers. Balch has knocked Fort's combative style, his missed Senate votes and his inclusion on a list of lawmakers in 2009 who failed to pay their taxes.
"I'm not happy our state senator is raising our taxes while not paying his own," says Balch.
Fort, who said he's since settled his debts, has fired back with, among other charges, a tactic that worked well for Kasim Reed during his mayoral race against Mary Norwood and Borders: Questioning whether Balch, who, records show, has voted in two Republican primaries and once worked for an eco-minded GOP congressman, is really a Democrat.
"Graham Balch can't buy this election," says Fort, who hasn't had an opponent since 1998. "He can't hide his Republican-in-Democrat clothing."
With no debates planned between now and Election Day, the war of words will have to play out in mailers, meet-and-greets and robocalls. Both candidates say they're campaigning nonstop and dialing for dollars until July 20.
Both candidates were expected to file new financial disclosures this week. Fort, while mum on the exact amount he's raised, smiled and said he's "very happy" with the results.
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I have offered to set up a debate between the two candidates before the primary, but have gotten no response from the Fort Campaign.
Perhaps Senator Fort does not have the skills necessary to debate Mr. Balch? What is he afraid of?
I doubt Vincent is afraid. He may not want to help increase Balch's name recognition for free.
This should be an interesting race. The Reed people are working hard for Vincent and the business community has won very few faces in this town.
I think Fort is afraid. Even getting him to show up at the same event as Balch is hard. I know this from experience, as I invited both of them to a neighborhood association meeting in East Point. Balch was easy to get in touch with and eager to respond. He was there on time. Fort was very difficuly to get in touch with and then didn't show up until just as the meeting broke. I understand he is a busy man, however he shouldn't then make committments he can't keep. It left me and others with the feeling that we just didn't matter. Given that in 4 years of having Fort as my State Senator he has never once come to one of our meetings (and yet our State Rep comes to almost every one), he failure to show up on time when he was invited and RSVPed left a bad taste in many of our mouths.
They idea that Balch is a Republican is absurd. How many Republicans do you know who work in the peace corp and quit high paying jobs to teach high school? :D
I agree StillSmokin. He worked for a moderate NY GOP Representative as part of his research for his thesis. Hardly makes him a Republican. As for the votes, what do they matter? Two votes out of how many? I voted for Bush in 88 and some other Republicans in lower level races in 89 and 90. Since 1992, I've only voted Republican. Does that make me a member of the GOP? I don't think so. Such a ridiculous agruement. And what does it say that Fort is hanging his hat on that and not his record.
It doesn't really matter whether Balch is a republican or not. It does matter if AA's think he is. The AA vote is very sensitive to republicans masking themselves as democrats, which is why the republican smear tactic works so well in Atlanta.
Change! Boot Fort! We need more progressive Democrats! Where does fort stand on gay marriage - oh that's right he is a black social conservative (republican)...
Why are the Alcoholic Anonymous voters so sensitive to the republican smear tactic? Is that step 13?
Vincent Fort is a great representative for District 39. You always know where he stands on issues, and he is man of integrity and fairness. Balch is fooling himself if he thinks the Republican majority will let him into their circles if he makes nice. For example, can Balch possibly be suggesting the State will fund metro Atlanta transit or allow gay marriage because he says "please?" What is needed (of all politicians) is the willingness to mean what you say and say what you mean. You know where you stand with Vincent, and he is almost always on the right side of important issues. That is a rare and desired commodity in today's politicians.
Of course Borders is supporting Fort's opponent. Remember the hit job that he Reed did on her during the mayoral campaign? http://bit.ly/D8Q0V
The problem with the dems in the legislature now is that most aren't complaining enough. The hair on the back of my neck goes up when someone in a heavy Dem district is running to "reach across the aisle to the repubs" Let the Dems from the mixed districts do that - I want someone whose gonna call out the GA Legislators running the show.
Balch sounds like he is pandering to Republican voters when he talks about compromise thus many think perhaps he is going to be one of those dems that go along to get along with the Repubs .
I understand the frustration with Fort but I'd respect Balch more if he started aggressively calling out the horrible things that have been going on in the GA legislature.
Supporting Gay Marriage and Funding for Transit? Wow what a radical idea for an intown candidate to take. Way to go out on a limb.
Sorry Lewis, I disagree with you. I don't feel that Fort is good for District 39 at all. I've met Graham and spoken to him at length and he is not naive. He knows that simply saying please will not get the job done. But neither will Fort's yelling and calling names and belittling people. Nor will running to the camera every time it turns on to blast anyone who isn't in lock step with you. Politics is the art of the compromise. Fort rather be a martyr than compromise. While that is nice for saints, in the real world, it doesn't get much accomplished. We need someone who is at least willing to work with others, something Fort is not. That is great when you are in the majority party, but not when you are in the minority and Fort doesn't recognize that fact. The fact is, Graham is on the right side of the issues as well (again, I have spoken with him), so why not vote for someone with the same views but who doesn't have the baggage that Fort has?
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