In a bid to unseat Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney currently facing scrutiny and awaiting a judge's decision in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump, two challengers have joined the race. Christian Wise Smith, a progressive Democrat who ran against Willis four years ago, is challenging her in the upcoming May Democratic primary election. On the Republican side, Courtney Kramer, who interned in the White House counsel's office under Trump for three months in 2018, has also thrown her hat in the ring.

The general election for the Fulton County district attorney's race will take place in November, and the recent attention on the election interference case has put these local races under the national spotlight.

Meanwhile, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who presides over the election interference case, has also drawn two challengers for his nonpartisan race in May. Robert Patillo, a civil rights attorney, and Tiffani Johnson, a staff attorney for another Fulton County judge, have both entered the race.

Willis made headlines in August when she obtained an indictment against Trump and 18 others, accusing them of illegal attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. However, the focus has shifted in recent months to the revelations of Willis' romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, raising questions about her qualification to pursue the prosecution.

The upcoming decision by Judge McAfee on whether to remove Willis from the election interference case is expected to be a critical juncture in her tenure as district attorney.

In the previous Democratic primary election in 2020, Willis challenged and defeated then-District Attorney Paul Howard. She subsequently ran unopposed in the general election later that year.

Criticism of Willis extends beyond her involvement in the election case, with progressive Democrats also voicing concerns about the allocation of resources to high-profile racketeering cases involving rap artists, while inmates in the overcrowded and dangerous Fulton County Jail suffer. Even some of her close allies have expressed doubts about her judgment following the disclosure of her relationship with Wade.

Willis, however, maintains her commitment to the citizens of Fulton County, emphasizing her accomplishments such as major indictments against gang leaders, a transparent process for handling cases involving police officers, and a mentoring program for schoolchildren.

While challenging an incumbent with widespread name recognition and a significant campaign account may prove difficult, Wise Smith, Kramer, and their respective supporters are determined to give voters in heavily Democratic Fulton County an alternative choice.

The judge's ruling on Willis' involvement in the election interference case is expected by the end of next week, further shaping the direction of the race.