Two key players in Donald J. Trump’s criminal case in Georgia won their races on Tuesday night, The Associated Press reported: Judge Scott McAfee, who won a general election race; and Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, who won a Democratic primary.
The two candidates were considered the favorites in their respective races. But they were running for second terms a few months after the election-interference case against Mr. Trump and his allies hit serious turbulence.
Defense lawyers said Ms. Willis’s romance with a lawyer she had hired to manage the prosecution — a relationship that came to light in January — created an untenable conflict of interest, and they had asked Judge McAfee to remove her from the case in Fulton County Superior Court.
Ms. Willis pushed back vigorously against the effort. In mid-March, Judge McAfee ruled that she could stay on the Trump case if the subordinate, Nathan J. Wade, stepped down, which he quickly did. This month, the Georgia Court of Appeals agreed to review the judge’s decision.
Ms. Willis and Judge McAfee have faced criticism over the matter, but they also enjoyed certain advantages as voters in Fulton County, which covers much of Atlanta, headed to the polls.
Ms. Willis faced off against Christian Wise Smith, a former prosecutor who had called on her to resign. But Ms. Willis had wide name recognition in Fulton County, a heavily Democratic area where 45 percent of the population is Black.
Ms. Willis has suggested that racism played a role in the attacks on her, an argument that has resonated with some constituents. This month, she was endorsed by some of the Atlanta area’s most prominent Black preachers.
Ms. Willis will face off in a November general election against Courtney A. Kramer, a Republican lawyer who has worked in the Trump White House and with the Trump campaign. Ms. Kramer is running unopposed in the Republican primary.
Judge McAfee, of Fulton County Superior Court, is a conservative who was appointed to his first term by Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican. He ran in the nonpartisan election against Robert Patillo II, a civil rights lawyer and radio show host.
Mr. Patillo had criticized Judge McAfee’s ruling on the Willis matter. But he had received significantly fewer campaign contributions than the incumbent, who was endorsed by Mr. Kemp and by former Gov. Roy Barnes, the last Democrat to occupy the Georgia governor’s mansion.
