Liberals Win Wisconsin Supreme Court Seat, Expanding Majority to 5-2 Through 2030

Liberal-backed judge Chris Taylor won election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday, expanding the court's progressive majority to 5-2 in a race that analysts say signals deepening Democratic momentum in one of America's most consequential swing states. Taylor, a state appeals court judge and former Democratic state legislator with ties to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, defeated conservative incumbent Maria Lazar by more than 20 percentage points — a margin that surprised even optimistic Democratic strategists.

The result cements liberal control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court through at least 2030, giving the progressive bloc an unassailable majority over the next four years. With another conservative justice set to retire in 2027, Democrats now have a realistic path to achieving a 6-1 liberal supermajority on the court — a dominance not seen in Wisconsin in decades. The court's liberal bloc has already reshaped the state's political landscape in recent years, overturning heavily gerrymandered legislative maps and striking down an 1849 near-total abortion ban that had come back into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Taylor centered her campaign on abortion access and voting rights, explicitly tying her campaign messaging to President Donald Trump to mobilize Democratic voters in an off-cycle election. Her campaign contrasted sharply in cost with recent Wisconsin Supreme Court races: total airwave spending reached just $6.5 million, a fraction of the $85 million spent in 2025's court race and far below the record-shattering sums of 2024, when Elon Musk bankrolled a conservative effort that ultimately failed. Lazar, who had worked in Republican former Governor Scott Walker's administration, lost by roughly 10 points more than the conservative candidate in the 2025 race.

The margin of victory also reflected a significant Democratic overperformance relative to Wisconsin's recent presidential voting patterns. Taylor outperformed President Biden's 2024 Wisconsin numbers by 21 points — a staggering swing that political analysts say reflects continued backlash to Trump's second-term policies, particularly in suburban areas where college-educated voters have moved sharply toward Democrats since 2016. This was the fourth consecutive Wisconsin Supreme Court victory for liberals dating back to 2020, a streak that has reversed what had been a long-running conservative advantage on the state's highest court.

For Wisconsin Democrats, the victory carries implications far beyond the judiciary. The court is poised to rule on redistricting challenges that could reshape the state legislature ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, giving Democrats a chance to flip at least one legislative chamber for the first time in 16 years. Abortion rights cases involving Wisconsin's current 20-week ban remain active before the court, and union rights litigation tied to Walker-era Act 10 restrictions is also working its way through the system. Taylor, who previously worked as policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin before becoming a state legislator and then a judge, told supporters Tuesday night that she would protect "the rights of every Wisconsinite" on the court. The result also adds to a growing Democratic argument that the party's enthusiasm advantage in special and off-cycle elections could translate into significant gains in November's midterm contests.