Court Battles

Democrats expand majority on Wisconsin Supreme Court with Taylor victory

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by Caroline Vakil - 04/07/26 9:27 PM ET

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by Caroline Vakil - 04/07/26 9:27 PM ET

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Democratic-backed candidate Chris Taylor is projected to win a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, expanding the court’s liberal majority, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Taylor, an appellate court judge, defeated Maria Lazar, a conservative and fellow appellate court judge, for a seat left open by conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley, who opted to not seek reelection.

Wisconsin’s high court currently boasts a 4-3 liberal majority, expanding to a 5-2 edge with Taylor’s victory.

It’s a major victory in the state for Democrats, who only three years ago flipped the state’s high court from a conservative majority to a liberal one.

Though Taylor was expected to win Tuesday, the election has underscored the speed with which Democrats have taken partisan control of a high court in a consequential battleground state.

“Chris Taylor’s decisive victory marks changing tides in Wisconsin,” Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Chair Heather Williams said in a statement. “Our next step is taking this same strategy to the state legislature, where we are poised to flip both chambers blue this November.”

This year’s state Supreme Court race, however, received less attention than the 2025 contest, in large part because partisan control over the Wisconsin high court was not at stake.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court, like other battleground states’ high courts, has served as ground zero for issues such as the 2020 election challenges, redistricting, abortion access, workers’ rights and more.

President Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk were heavily involved in last year’s Wisconsin Supreme Court race, piling on endorsements and contributing millions of dollars in support of conservative candidate Brad Schimel. Liberal Susan Crawford ended up beating Schimel by roughly 10 points for a seat on the bench.

The president’s lack of endorsement in Tuesday’s race comes as his polling has taken a hit in the Badger State. Polling from Marquette Law School released last month showed the president with a 42 percent approval rating and 56 percent disapproval rating in Wisconsin.

The state is already bracing for another Supreme Court race next year after conservative Justice Annette Ziegler said she would not be seeking reelection.

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