Critics said the action in Fulton County had triggered fears of federal interference in this year’s midterm elections. Trump has long claimed, without evidence, that the 2020 election was stolen from him and blamed Georgia, in particular, for his loss to Joe Biden. The Fulton County Board of Elections became a battleground, once the Republican Party appointed Julie Adams to it. In advance of the 2024 election, right-wing activists also forced out a moderate conservative on the Georgia State Election Board, tilting its balance of power. Fulton County Clerk Ché Alexander didn’t respond, and in December the U.S. Department of Justice sued her.