Liberal Chris Taylor Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Seat by Wide Margin

Chris Taylor, a state appeals court judge and former Democratic legislator, won a 10-year seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday, defeating conservative appeals judge Maria Lazar. NBC News projected the result after the polls closed, and CBS News reported that Lazar lost by double digits. With most expected votes counted, Taylor led by more than 20 points, NBC News said.

The seat opened when conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley chose to retire, and Taylor’s win gives liberals a 5-2 majority, NBC News reported. CBS News called it the fourth straight victory for liberal court candidates since 2020, and said liberals are guaranteed a majority until at least 2030. CBS News said another conservative justice retires next year, giving liberals a chance at 6-1 control; NBC News said conservative Justice Annette Ziegler is not seeking a third term in 2027.

The margin was bigger than in recent contests. NBC News described it as a 10-point swing toward Democratic-backed candidates from the 2025 race and a 21-point swing from the 2024 presidential vote in the state. Taylor said the court should serve “the people” rather than “the billionaires,” CBS News reported. One of her ads said “abortion is on the ballot,” and CBS News said Lazar had called the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade “very wise.”

Lazar worked four years at the state Department of Justice under a Republican attorney general and defended a Walker-era law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers, along with Walker-signed voter ID and abortion laws, CBS News reported. A circuit court judge ruled that collective bargaining law unconstitutional in December, CBS News said, and NBC News reported that Republicans are eyeing action on the court that could scale back such laws. Wisconsin Republican Party Chair Brian Schimming urged Republicans to “stay united and continue fighting for our conservative values,” CBS News reported.

Money and national attention were far lower than in the last two races. NBC News said the contest drew $6.5 million in television advertising, of which $4.7 million supported Taylor and more than $1 million opposed Lazar, compared with $85 million in ad spending in the 2025 race. CBS News, citing the Brennan Center for Justice, said Taylor spent about nine times as much as Lazar on television, and that spending and attention fell sharply from the previous two races, which set national records.

The court’s decisions have wide reach. NBC News noted that the justices have overturned legislative maps and struck down an 1849 abortion ban. NBC News said Democrats also hope to flip at least one legislative chamber this year for the first time in 16 years.