Keisha
Waites
hopes
Aug.
5
will
be
the
last
election
she
runs
as
a
challenger.
Waites,
who
is
running
her
fifth
campaign
in
eight
years,
came
within
31
votes
of
Ralph
Long
III
during
the
July
15
primary
as
they
emerged
as
the
frontrunners
of
a
six-person
race
to
replace
state
Rep.
Bob
Holmes
(D-Atlanta),
who
will
retire
from
serving
District
61
at
the
end
of
the
year.
If
Waites
wins
the
runoff
on
Tuesday,
she
will
be
the
first
lesbian
of
color
elected
to
a
state
office.
And
while
she
embraces
that
potential,
she
is
more
concerned
with
the
problems
pressing
in
on
the
district.
“I
understand
the
history
of
this
race,
I
take
nothing
away
from
that,
but
this
is
my
home,”
Waites
said.
“There
are
eight
foreclosures
on
my
street.
We
have
to
work
to
improve
our
neighborhood.”
Since
the
July
15
primary,
Waites
picked
up
momentum
and
the
endorsements
of
the
Gay
&
Lesbian
Victory
Fund,
Sierra
Club,
former
rival
candidates
Paul
Lockhart
Sr.
and
Tony
M.L.
McCann,
and
former
state
representative
Grace
Davis.
Waites
has
run
four
campaigns
in
the
past,
but
she
said
this
is
the
most
support
any
of
her
attempts
have
ever
received.
The
strong
support
has
even
forced
her
to
re-channel
some
of
her
resources.
“We
have
been
going
door
to
door
every
day
to
get
the
message
to
vote
out,
we’ve
put
out
mailers,
done
phone
bank.
Actually,
I
decided
to
stop
phone
banking
because
it
was
starting
to
be
too
much,”
Waites
said.
With
turnout
expected
to
be
low
Aug.
5,
Georgia
Equality
Executive
Director
Jeff
Graham
said
gay
voters
could
tip
that
race
in
her
favor.
“I
really
think
the
LGBT
community
really
can
make
a
difference
in
Keisha’s
race.
If
only
10
percent
of
the
electorate
come
out
to
vote,
and
LGBT
voters
come
out
in
force,
than
they
can
swing
the
election,”
Graham
said.
DISTRICT
61
'GAY
FRIENDLY'
House
District
61
includes
the
sections
of
East
Point
that
have
traditionally
elected
gay
city
council
representatives.
Although
Waites
is
running
against
Long,
who
is
straight,
he
believes
he
will
garner
his
share
of
the
gay
vote.
“My
campaign
is
gay-friendly
all
around,”
Long
said.
As
evidence
to
his
claim,
he
touted
the
endorsement
of
Sen.
Vincent
Fort
(D-Atlanta),
who
is
considered
one
of
the
most
vocal
gay
allies
in
the
state
Senate.
“I’ve
talked
to
him
extensively
on
issues
like
predatory
lending,
funding
for
Grady,
gay
issues.
He’ll
be
gay
friendly,”
Fort
said.
“I
think
we’ll
be
simpatico.
I
think
he’ll
have
his
own
agenda
of
course,
but
on
core
progressive
issues
I
think
he’ll
be
right
there
with
me
and
the
voters
of
his
district.”
Long
has
been
actively
campaigning
and
has
recently
explored
several
of
the
homeless
issues
in
District
61
by
visiting
a
tent
city
off
Metropolitan
Parkway.
“To
be
honest,
I
don’t
care
about
winning
if
I’m
elected
and
can’t
do
anything
to
help
the
district,”
Long
said.
“I’d
rather
not
have
it
if
that’s
the
case.
The
conditions
were
deplorable
at
that
tent
city.
We
need
to
do
something
to
help.”
Waites
said
she
cares
less
about
making
history
and
more
about
affecting
change.
“People
keep
asking
me
if
I
would
be
the
first
(openly
gay)
African-American
to
serve
on
the
state
level,”
Waites
said.
“I
am
exited
about
that,
but
I
am
far
more
concerned
about
doing
the
work
to
improve
my
community.”
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