Louis G. Fortis (born April 5, 1947) is an American economist, educator, and newspaper publisher-editor who served three terms as a Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Milwaukee County.
In 1986, Fortis, who had been an active member of organizations such as the Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development, the Wisconsin Cooperative Development Council, Jobs with Peace, and ESHAC, challenged incumbent Democratic State Representative Gus Menos in the 11th Assembly district (Brown Deer, Glendale and portions of northeastern Milwaukee).
Menos was dismissed by local newspaper the Milwaukee Journal as "largely ineffective... except when it comes to doing legislative favors for campaign contributors.
[4] In 1992, after an extensive redistricting changed the boundaries of his district to include many new areas, he chose to run for the Democratic nomination for the Fourth State Senate District to succeed Barbara Ulichny (who had chosen not to seek re-election in the wake of the investigation into payments to her and other legislators by lobbyist Gary Goyke).
He lost the primary to fellow Assembly member Gwen Moore, who drew 11,066 votes to 8,011 for Fortis and 1,254 for Phyllis Williams-Kirk.