Wisconsin Supreme Court Election Expands Liberal Majority
Chris Taylor's Wisconsin Supreme Court victory expands the liberal majority to 5-2, cementing Democratic control until at least 2030.
Objective Facts
Chris Taylor, a state appeals court judge and former Democratic state legislator, defeated conservative Maria Lazar on April 7, 2026. Taylor's victory in the race for retiring Justice Rebecca Bradley's seat means liberals will have a 5-2 edge on the swing state's highest court, putting the majority out of reach for conservatives until at least 2030. This marks the fourth straight victory for Democratic-backed candidates in Wisconsin's high court elections. Taylor, who was backed by the state Democratic Party, held massive fundraising and ad spending advantages over Lazar throughout the race. She had put abortion and voting rights at the forefront of her campaign, much like other winning liberal Supreme Court candidates in the state in recent years, and leaned into messaging that targeted President Donald Trump.
Left-Leaning Perspective
Democrats framed Taylor's victory as an "indictment" of Trump and GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany, with the state Democratic Party Chair describing the court as "the last line of defense against the federal government's unconstitutional overreach." Taylor centered her campaign on protecting rights and freedoms, warning of future threats to Wisconsin's elections and highlighting her advocacy work in the state Assembly and for Planned Parenthood to support reproductive health care and victims of domestic violence. She had put abortion and voting rights at the forefront of her campaign, leaning into messaging that targeted President Donald Trump, which has helped turn out Democratic voters in non-presidential elections in Wisconsin and nationally. Democrats are eyeing court action that could scale back or overturn a raft of other conservative legislation from previous GOP administrations, including a law that eliminated most collective bargaining rights for public workers. The court overturned the state's legislative maps, which heavily favored Republicans, resulting in new district lines' going into effect in 2024. Liberals argued that democracy was at stake, noting that when the court was controlled by conservative justices in 2020 it came just one vote shy of siding with Trump in his attempt to invalidate enough votes to overturn his loss, and the court under liberal control has reversed several election-related rulings, including one that overturned a ban on absentee ballot drop boxes. This year's race was far quieter and less expensive than the last two Supreme Court elections, but liberals still capitalized on the issue. In 2023, liberals won a majority on the court for the first time in 15 years, and last year, they maintained that majority after the most expensive state Supreme Court race in U.S. history, when tech billionaire Elon Musk poured millions of dollars for the conservative candidate. Left-leaning outlets emphasized Taylor's victory as cementing control over critical policy areas, though notably downplayed how lower spending and turnout affected the race's salience compared to the record-breaking 2025 election.
Right-Leaning Perspective
The Republican Party of Wisconsin's statement emphasized Lazar ran "an honorable campaign focused on impartial justice, following the rule of law, and rejecting judicial activism." Lazar's campaign frequently zeroed in on Taylor's legislative career and painted her as an activist and a politician rather than a judge. During the debate, Lazar argued "you have a judge, an experienced judge who's been on the bench for more than 12 years, protecting the rights of everyone" while characterizing Taylor as "a radical, extreme legislator who is known as the most liberal of the 99 in that Assembly, who now as a judicial activist, wants to put her views, her values and her agenda in the court above the law." Lazar had raised concerns that a five-member liberal bloc could prevent certain cases from reaching the bench because three votes are needed to take up an appeal. When Taylor emphasized what she called her "values," including support for workers over millionaires and billionaires regarding Act 10, Lazar characterized Taylor's support as "legislative" values rather than judicial ones, stating "Values do not belong with the judge on the court." Wisconsin Republican Party Chair Brian Schimming called for Republicans to "stay united and continue fighting for our conservative values." Some Republicans expressed frustration that Lazar hadn't more intentionally emphasized key issues that matter to the conservative base, with one operative asking "If you're a Republican voter, what reason has Maria Lazar's campaign given you to, like, show up and go to a poll on Tuesday?" Right-leaning outlets focused on Lazar's judicial experience and independence while portraying Taylor as a partisan activist masquerading as a neutral judge. However, Republican reaction was notably muted compared to Democratic celebration, reflecting lower strategic stakes with the majority already secured.
Deep Dive
Liberal candidates have won four straight Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, as well as five of the last six, and dating to 2017, Democratic and Democratic-aligned candidates have won 19 of the last 24 statewide races in Wisconsin. This reflects a broader realignment in the battleground state. Liberals took control of the state's top court in 2023, ending 15 years under a conservative majority. The 2026 race is distinctive precisely because the majority was not at stake—this year's race was far quieter and less expensive than the last two Supreme Court elections in Wisconsin. Last year, with Elon Musk's involvement and the majority at stake, the Wisconsin Supreme Court race drew more than $85 million in ad spending and ended up as the most expensive state Supreme Court race ever. This year's contest has fallen short of that: Groups and candidates have poured roughly $6.5 million million into ads. Both sides understand what is genuinely at stake. Democrats hope lawsuits over Wisconsin's congressional map will make their way before the state Supreme Court where Republicans control six of the state's eight House seats, and they are eyeing action on the court that could scale back or overturn a raft of other conservative legislation from previous GOP administrations, including a law that eliminated most collective bargaining rights for public workers. In recent years, the high court has handed down major decisions expanding abortion rights and overturning Republican-drawn legislative maps, and is expected to weigh in on important voting rights and labor cases. Republicans' core argument—that Taylor represents partisan activism—rests on genuine disagreement about judicial role. Lazar is a member of the conservative Federalist Society and served as an assistant attorney general under Republican Attorney General JB Van Hollen, while Taylor was the policy and political director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin for eight years prior to serving as a Democrat in the Assembly. What to watch: Liberals will have yet another opportunity to expand their Wisconsin Supreme Court majority next year, with conservative Justice Annette Ziegler declining to run for a third term, and after 2027, three other justices are also set to face re-election for 10-year terms from 2028 to 2030. Taylor's victory further cements liberal control of the state's judicial branch, even as a new governor enters the executive branch and Democrats and Republicans fight for control of the state Legislature later this year. The court's actual rulings on pending cases—particularly Act 10 collective bargaining challenges and redistricting disputes—will determine whether Democrats' faith in judicial protection of their priorities is validated or whether Republican warnings about activism prove prophetic.