District Attorney Fani Willis cruises to victory in Georgia primary despite scandal and setbacks in Trump prosecution

District Attorney Fani Willis won her primary election Tuesday evening, as she runs for reelection during her chaotic prosecution of former President Donald Trump.

Willis defeated her Democratic primary opponent Christian Wise Smith, a former Fulton prosecutor.

The Associated Press declared Willis the winner of her primary, as she led Smith by 77 points with 39 percent of the vote tallied. 

Willis made a name for herself after filing an ambitious RICO case against former President Donald Trump, charging him with conspiring to change the results of the 2020 presidential election.

But she was also caught up in scandal after details leaked of her romantic affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, a man she paid handsomely to work on the case as they traveled together on luxury vacations.

The Trump legal team argued the relationship represented conflict of interest, as they triggered a lengthy hearing on whether she should still be able to prosecute the case.

Her Democratic opponent Wise Smith campaigned on the need for a more sober, professional prosecution of Trump but to no avail. 

Willis was hailed as a champion for the left because of her defiance against Trump and his allies despite the details surrounding her personal scandal triggered a storm of media coverage. 

In response, Willis routinely shared details of death threats as the controversy continued as well as multiple verbal attacks on her race and her gender.

Willis also appeared at the congregation of Big Bethel AME during the scandal, comparing her plight to that of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr and rallied Democrats to her side.

'You cannot expect black women to be perfect and save the world,' she told the church congregation. 'The Lord is completing us. We are not perfect. We need your prayers. We need to be allowed to stumble. We need grace.'

Willis' willingness to fight appears to have galvanized Democrats who want to see Trump convicted of criminally trying to overthrow the election in Georgia.

Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ultimately concluded in March that Willis had made a 'tremendous lapse in judgment,' but could remain on the case as long as Wade was removed.

Judge McAfee is also projected to win his primary, despite his controversial decision to preserve Willis' position in the prosecution of Trump.

Despite McAffee's ruling, however, the Georgia federal appeals court agreed Thursday to revisit the case, casting the timeline of the Trump trial into doubt.

The date for that hearing has not been set.