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Trump case impact felt in Fulton County as DA Willis, Judge McAfee face election challengers

Qualifying for May primaries in state and local races concluded Friday, with opponents qualifying to face both DA Fani Willis and Judge Scott McAfee.

ATLANTA — The weight of the 2020 Georgia election RICO case involving Donald Trump and others will be felt this November, as both Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Judge Scott McAfee -- who is overseeing the case -- face reelection challengers.

In effect, county voters will be able to put the case on the ballot, registering whether or not they approve of how Willis or McAfee has handled it. 

Friday was the final qualifying day for candidates to get on the May primary ballots in Georgia (the Peach state votes on March 12 in the presidential primaries, but state and local race primaries are held May 21).

RELATED: 'They can continue their games': Fulton County DA Fani Willis shares thoughts on Senate committee hearing

In the DA's race, a Democrat -- who indicated to 11Alive's Grace King he may not in fact fully mount a campaign -- and one Republican qualified for the primary ballot.

Earlier this week in remarks to reporters when she officially qualified, DA Willis said she was eager to take on any campaign challengers.

"This is a democracy we live in, right? So, people have a right to run for office, but they should come prepared for a fight," she said. "They should know that my heart is still in this work. My heart will continue to be in this work and I intend to be the DA for the next four years and nine months."

In the case of the Republican, attorney Courtney Kramer, she will automatically advance to the November race as she is the only candidate in that party's primary. Kramer, an election law attorney whose public LinkedIn notes she did work for former President Donald Trump's legal team from November 2020 through mid 2021, said she was running because "what I've seen happen right now in the office of the attorney under Fani Willis has been a complete disgrace."

"It's been a mockery of the legal profession," Kramer said. "She's made a mockery of politics, and she's made it into a clown show."

The other Democrat to qualify is Christian Wise Smith, a former Atlanta solicitor and prosecutor in the Fulton County District Attorney's Office. He said he was still "going to weigh my options before making a final decision on whether or not to officially launch the campaign," adding he wants "what's best for the citizens of Fulton County."

Meanwhile, in the nonparitsan race for Fulton County superior court judge, two other candidates besides Judge McAfee qualified.

They are Robert Patillo, an attorney and civil rights organizer who has done work with the Rainbow PUSH Atlanta Peachtree Street Project, and Tiffani Johnson.

Though the race is technically nonpartisan, Patillo previewed the political tone it could take as he reposted on X a message stating he would "certainly be left of Judge McAfee."

Trump's attorney in the 2020 RICO case Steve Sadow in a post on X also underscored the politics of the race, accusing him of an "obvious pro-Willis bias and motive for running."

Patillo himself wrote on Instagram: "The MAGAs are already at it trying to intimidate us out of this race."

Johnson, for her part, is a senior staff attorney for Fulton County Superior Court Judge Melynee Leftridge, according to her campaign site. It describes her as a "champion  for fairness, equity, and accountability in our judicial system."

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