Former state Sen. Vincent Fort is considering launching a bid for Georgia lieutenant governor, a move that would shake up the race for the state's No. 2 job.
The Atlanta Democrat said he’s discussing with advisers whether to jump into the contest to succeed Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who is running for governor.
His name surfaced as a potential contender after he finished in fifth place in the race for Atlanta mayor, logging about 10 percent of the vote in the crowded race.
The statewide race for lieutenant governor would be a much bigger and costlier race for Fort, who struggled to raise cash and gain traction in the mayor’s election.
He also won’t have a clear path. Several Democrats are already in the race, including political newcomer Sarah Riggs Amico, a logistics executive. And three leading Republicans are in the race: Former state Rep. Geoff Duncan, ex-state Sen. Rick Jeffares and state Sen. David Shafer.
First elected in 1996, Fort was an influential member of the Georgia Senate when Democrats ruled the state Capitol who became an increasingly outspoken critic of politicians from both sides of the aisle once they lost it.
His populist platform in the mayor’s race, which included calls for free college tuition and the decriminalization of marijuana, never took root among a jumble of candidates that included other unabashed liberals not willing to cede the party's left flank to him.
And while endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Gov. Roy Barnes helped him raise cash, it couldn't keep pace with the millions of dollars his rivals collected for their runs. Ditto for his union support, whose force of door-knockers couldn't overcome other get-out-the-vote machines.
If he runs, Fort would become the party's biggest name in a race that is still very much unsettled.
A Fort bid could set up an awkward situation for the party. He's a critic of another Democrat who is running for a spot on the top of the ticket: Stacey Abrams.
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