Fani Willis Gets a Boost Out of Georgia

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' reelection efforts got a boost from a new poll for next month's Democratic primary.

Willis is up for reelection this year and is facing her first challenge in the May 21 primary. Attorney Christian Wise Smith, who ran against her in 2020, is her sole challenger in the race, which is her first electoral test amid her prosecution of former President Donald Trump.

The Trump case has propelled Willis to national prominence. She charged Trump for allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential race in Georgia, a swing state that narrowly backed President Joe Biden. Republicans have raised issues about the prosecution, accusing her of targeting Trump for political purposes, as well as her conduct, as both sides prepare for trial.

However, the attacks have not chipped away at her support among Democrats ahead of the primary, according to a new poll.

The survey, conducted by Georgia-based political consultant Fred Hicks, found that Willis has expanded her support since her election in 2020, according to a report from Atlanta-based news station WAGA-TV.

The poll, which surveyed 1,000 likely Democratic voters from April 20 to 23, found that 79 percent of respondents plan to back Willis in the primary, while 9 percent said they are voting for Wise Smith.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Michael Ceraso, a communications consultant for Wise Smith's campaign told Newsweek that the campaign feels confident in the weeks leading up to the primary that people will see Wise Smith campaigning on issues important to Fulton County residents including mass incarceration, school to prison pipeline and the legalization of marijuana.

Newsweek reached out to Willis via email for comment.

In 2020, Willis won a runoff against former District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. with about 72 percent of the vote. She then ran unopposed in the general election.

No other polls have been released publicly about this year's race, which is now less than a month away. Whoever wins is expected to be viewed as strongly favored to win the general election, as Fulton County is a deeply Democratic county that gave Biden nearly 73 percent of its vote in 2020.

Willis' case focuses on Trump's phone call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Trump asked him to find enough votes to tilt the election in his favor, as well as the alleged efforts to submit a false slate of pro-Trump electors to the Electoral College.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges and has accused Willis of targeting him for political purposes.

Willis has come under scrutiny from Republicans amid the case. Attorneys representing one of Trump's co-defendants argued that Willis should have been removed from the case over her relationship with Nathan Wade, the prosecutor she hired for the case. They alleged the pair financially benefited from taxpayer dollars through the hiring, but Willis said the relationship began after he was hired, and that therefore she should not be disqualified.

Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the trial, ultimately ruled that Willis should not be disqualified, instead ruling that either she or Wade would need to leave the case. Wade ultimately did so.

Update 4/25/24, 4:55 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Wise Smith's campaign.

Correction: 4/27/24, 4:30 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to change Judge McAfee's first name from Sean to Scott.