Chris Taylor Again Outraises Maria Lazar in WI Supreme Court Race
Liberal candidate raised 4 times more and spent 6 times more than conservative.
The interior of the Wisconsin State Capitol on Monday, July 14, 2025, in Madison, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
One week ahead of Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election, liberal Judge Chris Taylor is continuing her fundraising dominance over conservative Judge Maria Lazar.
New state finance reports show Taylor’s campaign raised four times as much in the final pre-election fundraising period, and eclipsed the Lazar campaign’s spending by more than 6-to-1.
Between Feb. 3 and March 23, Taylor reported raising around $2.1 million from more than 22,000 individuals. Lazar reported around $474,000 in contributions from around 1,700 individuals during the same period.
The fundraising gap was not quite as large as it was at the end of 2025, when Taylor brought in 10 times more than Lazar.
The gulf between the campaigns was especially evident when looking at campaign spending on expenses like TV and online ads. During the reporting period, Lazar’s campaign spent around $566,000. Taylor’s campaign spent around $3.8 million.
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Maria Lazar, left, and Chris Taylor, right. They’re competing for an open seat on the court in the April 2026 election. Angela Major/WPR
All things considered, fundraising and spending in this year’s Supreme Court race has been a blip compared to the record $115 million spent during Wisconsin’s last election for the state’s highest bench. Unlike in 2025, ideological control of the court won’t flip regardless of whether Lazar or Taylor wins. The best conservatives can hope for is holding the court’s 4-3 liberal majority. Liberals are hoping to grow their majority to a 5-2 split.
Emeritus University of Wisconsin-La Crosse political science professor Joe Heim told WPR the broad fundraising figures from both candidates reflects that there’s less on the line, politically speaking, in this court race than there was in 2025.
“I think we’re returning more to a normal Supreme Court race,” said Heim. “But I also think you have to throw in the idea that, at the national level with a war going on and with a president who seems to dominate the news on a day to day basis, I think people have become a little bit exhausted about politics,” Heim said.
State Democratic Party trounces state GOP’s fundraising and spending
The fundraising advantage for liberals extended beyond Wisconsin’s Supreme Court campaigns.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin reported raising around $952,000 from 537 individuals and spending around $1.6 million during the period. The Republican Party of Wisconsin reported bringing in around $239,000 from 16 individual donors and spending $479,000.
The Republican Party transferred $60,000 to Lazar’s Supreme Court campaign, while the Democratic Party transferred $700,000 to Taylor’s campaign.
Chris Taylor again outraises Maria Lazar in Wisconsin Supreme Court race was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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