Former Fulton County prosecutor Christian Wise Smith confirmed on Monday he will launch a primary challenge against District Attorney Fani Willis, and promised to focus on “victim-centered prosecution” if he successfully unseats Willis.
Wise Smith on Monday confirmed in a statement that he is “committed to competing in the May primary against Willis,” according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The former candidate for Georgia Attorney General previously filed paperwork to run against Willis, but said he was “weighing his options” and would reach a formal decision in “the coming weeks.”
He explained his view that primary contests “are an essential part of the primary process, and voters deserve a choice,” according to the outlet.
Wise Smith (pictured above, left) wrote in a post to the social media platform X that he is running to provide voters with an “option to change the face of the justice system in Fulton County.”
Primaries are an essential part of the democratic process, and voters deserve a choice. I’m running to be that option to change the face of the justice system in Fulton County. Help me make Fulton the safest county in the country. Donate $25 today. https://t.co/ds5lyT8hjj pic.twitter.com/r2DiMgrS4N
— Christian Wise Smith (@chriswisesmith) March 25, 2024
Wise Smith previously faced Willis in the Democratic primary for Fulton County District Attorney in 2020.
After Wise Smith placed third in the primary election and did not qualify for the runoff between Willis and former district attorney Paul Howard Jr., he endorsed the incumbent over Willis.
“Ms. Willis decided that it is more important to be endorsed by Mary Norwood and the police union instead of the people,” said Wise Smith in his 2020 endorsement of Howard. He proceeded to accuse Willis of agreeing to a proposal from police unions that was tantamount to “slavery.”
Courtney Kramer, an attorney who worked to expose alleged outcome-changing fraud in the 2020 election, is similarly seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Willis or Wise Smith in November.
After narrowly surviving an attempt to disqualify her from the Georgia election case against former President Donald Trump, the district attorney said during a CNN appearance that she was “not embarrassed” by the revelation she shared a romantic relationship and luxurious vacations with Nathan Wade, who was forced by Judge Scott McAfee to resign as her special prosecutor.
Willis similarly claimed she expects her case against Trump to proceed on schedule, which would mean a trial beginning before the November elections.
Ashleigh Merchant, the defense attorney who originally exposed the affair between Willis and Wade, stated that she was skeptical of Willis’ ability to bring the case to trial this year due to the appeal to McAfee’s disqualification decision.
Merchant said the appeal, which was already granted by McAfee, could take around six months once it begins and noted that an appeals court had not accepted the request. Should the appeal be denied, Merchant explained, the defendants will appeal directly to the Georgia Supreme Court.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Christian Wise Smith” by Christian Wise Smith. Photo “Fani Willis” by Fani Willis.
