Fani Willis Raised Nearly Six Times as Much as Her Republican Challenger

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis raised six times as much money as her GOP opponent Courtney Kramer in the month since she announced her challenge to the Democratic DA in Georgia.

Willis is facing growing scrutiny from Republicans as she continues leading the prosecution of Trump in a case concerning election interference in the state following the 2020 presidential election. Georgia is a swing state that narrowly backed President Joe Biden. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and accuses Willis of targeting him for political purposes.

Republicans have raised concerns about Willis' conduct in the case. They have argued she should be disqualified from the prosecution of Trump and 18 co-defendants for her relationship with Nathan Wade, a prosecutor she hired for the case, arguing the pair benefited from taxpayer dollars. Willis says their relationship began only after Wade was hired.

Meanwhile, Georgia Republican lawmakers are investigating "allegations of misconduct" against Willis related to alleged "potential conflicts of interest and misuse of public funds."

Fani Willis raise 6x Republican challenger
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis attends a hearing at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on March 1. Willis has raised nearly six times as much campaign cash as her Republican opponent, Courtney Kramer,... ALEX SLITZ/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Amid the controversy, Willis is being challenged by both a Democrat and a Republican in her reelection bid. She is set to face a primary challenge from Christian Wise Smith on May 21, with polls indicating she is favored to win her party's nomination.

If successful, she will run against Kramer in November, a Republican whose campaign made her first fundraising filing this week.

The filing revealed that Kramer has raised about $26,320 since March 28. In that same time, Willis' campaign raised $153,000, meaning she has raised nearly six times as much as Kramer.

It remains to be seen if Kramer will start to raise more money after the primary later this month and whether her campaign will receive more attention before November.

Newsweek reached out to the Kramer and Willis campaigns for comment via email.

Ahead of the primary, Willis holds a polling lead over Wise Smith and has outraised him as well. He has raised $77,726 since launching his campaign in March, while Willis has raised nearly $227,000 since February.

Whoever wins the Democratic primary is expected to be the favorite to win the general election, as Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, is a deeply Democratic county that gave nearly 73 percent of its vote in 2020.

Kramer, an elections law attorney, has promised to focus on crime if elected to the DA's office but has also been critical of Willis' conduct.

"As a lawyer myself, it's disgusting to see her not follow her rules of professional conduct or take her oath of office seriously," Kramer, who previously interned at the Office of White House Counsel during the Trump administration, told Real America's Voice in March. "It's a disgrace to the legal community."

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Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more

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