Georgia DA and judge in Trump election interference case beat primary challengers

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Judge Scott McAfee -- both of whom have been key players in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his allies -- will win their respective primary races in Georgia's primary election on Tuesday, the Associated Press projects.

Willis beat Atlanta attorney Christian Wise Smith in the Democratic primary; McAfee defeated attorney Robert Patillo in a nonpartisan election.

If either Willis or McAfee had lost their primary and were booted from the job, the election interference case could have been further delayed. The case has already faced delays over efforts to remove Willis from the prosecution.

Willis will go on to face Republican lawyer Courtney Kramer in the general election. Kramer previously worked in the Trump White House and on his campaign.

Willis' reelection bid comes as Nathan Wade, the lead prosecutor in the Fulton County case, resigned after Judge McAfee ruled that either she or Wade must step aside from the case due to a "significant appearance of impropriety" stemming from a romantic relationship between the two. The Georgia Court of Appeals has since agreed to review the disqualification ruling, delaying the trial further.

McAfee, who is overseeing the racketeering case against Donald Trump and 14 others, was also on the ballot in a nonpartisan election.

McAfee's election bid came after he was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022. He ran for his first full term.

On Tuesday night, the Associated Press also projected that Andrew Pinson would win the nonpartisan election for state Supreme Court in Georgia.

Georgia's election on Tuesday did not include a presidential primary -- that happened in March, and President Joe Biden and Trump won their respective primaries in the state.