Chris Taylor Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Race, Grows Liberal Majority
Taylor's victory over Maria Lazar will give liberals a 5-2 majority on the court.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate Chris Taylor speaks during a campaign stop Saturday, March 7, 2026, at a union hall in Neenah, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority will grow after state Appeals Judge Chris Taylor was elected to a 10-year term Tuesday.
Her victory over her conservative opponent, Appeals Judge Maria Lazar, was declared by the Associated Press at 8:36 p.m.
Taylor’s victory means that liberals will expand their majority to 5-2, effectively securing their ideological advantage until at least 2030. 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.
But regardless of the night’s outcome, liberals would have held on to their 4-3 majority — first established with the high-profile election of Justice Janet Protasiewicz in 2023, and defended last year, when Justice Susan Crawford emerged victorious from the most expensive court race in American history.
In the face of lower stakes, Taylor’s campaign received comparatively less fanfare. Fundraising, early voting and turnout numbers were much lower than in recent years.
But the financial advantage was nonetheless Taylor’s, as her campaign raised much more than Lazar, and outspent Lazar 6-to-1.
Taylor’s campaign was seemingly on sure footing from the moment she announced her candidacy. She got into the race in May and, within weeks, had earned the endorsement of the four sitting liberal justices, insulating her from any challenge from the left.
By contrast, Lazar was a relative latecomer to the race. She emerged as the conservative contender in October, after conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley announced that she would not run for reelection, setting up a surprise open race.
Things won’t get easier for conservatives any time soon. They’ll be on defense again in the 2027 election, when there will be another open race for the seat being vacated by conservative Justice Annette Ziegler. Conservatives would have to win that race, along with the 2028 and 2029 Supreme Court elections, in order to have a shot at flipping the court in 2030.
Justice Bradley’s term will run through the end of July. Taylor will take office on Aug. 1.
Chris Taylor wins Wisconsin Supreme Court race, growing liberal majority was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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