In Georgia’s Peach County, Historic Divides Linger as Voters Weigh Harris-Trump Race

FORT VALLEY, GA — Nestled in central Georgia and named for the famed Elberta peach, Peach County is more than just an agricultural hub — it’s a sharply divided political microcosm where race, history, and economic pressures shape the landscape ahead of the presidential election.

According to 2022 census data, the county’s population is evenly split between Black and white residents, with each group comprising about 44 percent of the community. But despite decades of progress since the desegregation of schools, Peach County still reflects deep social and political fault lines.

Retired professor and author Anna Holloway, who moved to Fort Valley in 1968 and later married a Black man, recalls how racial segregation extended long past the legal desegregation of schools. “It wasn’t until 1990 that Black and white students were allowed to attend the same prom,” said Holloway, whose son was among the first to benefit from the change. While social relations have improved, she noted, politics remain a dividing line: “There may be some undecided voters, but they ain’t talking.”

Garrett Milton, a 65-year-old barber who has worked in Fort Valley for decades, said political loyalties in the area often run along generational lines. “People vote like their parents did,” he said from his downtown salon. “Same with cars — my dad drove a Chevrolet, I drive Chevrolets.”

Research supports Milton’s view. A Pew Research Center survey in April showed 56 percent of non-Hispanic white voters leaned Republican, while 83 percent of Black voters favored Democrats. These long-standing patterns remain key in a state where the presidential race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is coming down to the wire.

Milton pointed to economic concerns as a major factor influencing voter sentiment. Once a thriving downtown, Fort Valley now struggles to retain foot traffic with the loss of what he called “anchor stores.” Small businesses like his persist, but others have shuttered.

Yet there’s also a buzz around Harris’s candidacy — the first woman, and the first Black and South Asian American, to lead a major party ticket. “There’s more talk about voting now than I’ve heard in 43 years,” said Milton. “But I’m also seeing more Trump signs than ever before — they’re everywhere.”

As November 5 approaches, Peach County, with its complex legacy and sharply defined contrasts, remains a bellwether for the broader political tides shaping Georgia and the nation.