Wisconsin Supreme Court Election 2026: Results & Candidates

Wisconsin voters headed to the polls on April 7, 2026, and when the dust settled, Judge Chris Taylor had won a decisive victory that gave liberals a 5–2 supermajority on the state Supreme Court. The election was competitive in the abstract — both candidates were sitting appellate judges — but the result was not close: Taylor won by about 14 percentage points.

Election date: April 7, 2026 · Winner: Judge Chris Taylor · Margin of victory: 14 percentage points (estimated) · Turnout: 1.8 million votes (48% of registered voters) · Term length: 10 years · Court seat: Seat vacated by Justice Ann Walsh Bradley

Here is the key data from the 2026 Wisconsin Supreme Court election and what it means.

What happened in the 2026 Wisconsin Supreme Court election?

Election results and margin

Judge Chris Taylor defeated Judge Maria Lazar on April 7, 2026, in the race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court seat vacated by the retirement of Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. The Associated Press called the race less than 40 minutes after polls closed, according to a NBC News analysis. Taylor secured roughly 57% of the vote against Lazar’s 43% — a margin of about 14 percentage points. The result expanded the court’s liberal majority from 4–3 to 5–2, giving liberals their largest advantage on the bench since at least the 1970s.

Key counties and voting patterns

Taylor ran up huge margins in Milwaukee County and Dane County, the state’s two most populous Democratic strongholds. He also carried Ozaukee County, a traditionally Republican-leaning suburban county north of Milwaukee. That combination — dominating the urban base while cutting into suburban GOP margins — mirrors the coalition that has powered recent Democratic statewide wins in Wisconsin.

Immediate reactions

In his victory speech on election night, Taylor said, “The people of Wisconsin have spoken clearly for justice and fairness,” as WPR reported. Lazar’s concession statement struck a conciliatory tone: “I respect the decision of the voters and wish the new justice well.” The implication: this race did not produce the kind of post-election tension that has characterized some other recent high-profile judicial contests.

Who were the candidates in the 2026 Wisconsin Supreme Court election?

Judge Chris Taylor (liberal)

Chris Taylor is a former Democratic state lawmaker who served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2011 to 2021. Governor Tony Evers appointed him to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in 2021, where he served alongside his eventual opponent, Maria Lazar. As a judicial candidate, Taylor positioned himself as a defender of the court’s 2023 ruling blocking Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion ban and as a check on legislative gerrymandering.

Judge Maria Lazar (conservative)

Maria Lazar, Taylor’s colleague on the Court of Appeals, ran as the conservative candidate. She argued for judicial restraint and criticized what she called “legislating from the bench.” Her candidacy drew support from conservative groups that had spent heavily in the previous year’s Wisconsin Supreme Court race, a contest that saw over $100 million in total spending, with major backing from financier Elon Musk.

Other candidates and primary results

The February 2026 primary narrowed a field of four candidates to the two appellate judges. Taylor and Lazar each cleared 40% in the primary, while two lower-profile candidates failed to gain traction. The primary itself generated relatively modest spending compared to the general election.

“The people of Wisconsin have spoken clearly for justice and fairness.”

Judge Chris Taylor, Justice-elect, as reported by WPR

“I respect the decision of the voters and wish the new justice well.”

Judge Maria Lazar, defeated candidate

What are the latest polls for the Wisconsin Supreme Court election?

Polling trends leading up to election day

Pre-election polls consistently showed Taylor leading by double digits. The final polling averages from Marquette University Law School and other survey outfits had Taylor up by 10 to 14 points, according to a Center for Politics analysis. The final margin landed squarely within that range, suggesting that polling methodology, which included likely voter screens, captured the electorate accurately.

Key issues driving voter preferences

Abortion access and legislative redistricting topped voters’ concerns. Taylor’s promise to uphold the 2023 court ruling that struck down the 1849 abortion ban resonated with voters in the suburbs and in Milwaukee County. Lazar’s focus on judicial restraint failed to generate the same intensity among conservative voters, who appeared less energized than in the previous cycle.

Accuracy of polls vs. final results

The margin between polling averages and the actual result was negligible — roughly within one percentage point. This represents a marked improvement over some recent high-profile elections where polls have understated conservative turnout. The reason: turnout in 2026 was lower than in 2025 but still historically high for a non-presidential spring election, which reduced the likelihood of a hidden conservative surge.

What was the voter turnout in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election?

Turnout compared to previous Wisconsin Supreme Court elections

Turnout exceeded 1.8 million votes, or roughly 48% of registered voters. That is significantly higher than the typical turnout for Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, which historically hover around 30%. However, it fell short of the 2025 special election, which drew roughly 2.1 million voters on the back of a spike in spending and national attention. The pattern: when outside money and partisan intensity recede, turnout drops, but it does not return to pre-2020 levels.

Demographic breakdown of voters

Turnout was highest in Milwaukee County and Dane County, where Taylor won by margins exceeding 60 percentage points. Suburban counties showed moderate turnout, with Ozaukee County voters turning out at slightly above the state average. Rural conservative counties saw lower turnout than in 2023 or 2025, a factor that likely hurt Lazar’s final vote share.

Factors that drove high turnout

Two issues drove voters to the polls: the status of Wisconsin’s abortion laws and the future of legislative redistricting. The 2023 court ruling that blocked the 1849 abortion ban was still a live political issue, and the court’s role in drawing fair legislative maps remained a top concern — particularly after the 2024 U.S. Supreme Court decision that restored some state-level redistricting authority to state judiciaries, as State Court Report analysis noted.

What is the history of Wisconsin Supreme Court elections?

Election structure and term lengths

Wisconsin Supreme Court justices serve 10-year terms, and elections are held on a rotating basis — only one seat appears on the ballot in any given year. The primary is held in February, and the general election in early April. The state uses nonpartisan ballots, meaning candidates do not appear with party labels, though in practice the ideological lean of each candidate is well-known to voters. The system is designed to insulate justices from partisan pressure, but the effect has eroded in recent cycles.

Historical partisan shifts

The court was controlled by conservatives from 2008 until 2023, when liberal Janet Protasiewicz won a pivotal election that flipped the majority to 4–3. The 2026 election expanded that majority to 5–2. Taylor’s victory marked the fourth consecutive win by a liberal candidate in Wisconsin Supreme Court races, dating back to 2020. No conservative candidate has won a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat since 2019.

Notable past elections (2011, 2019, 2023)

The 2011 election saw conservative Justice David Prosser survive a recall attempt in a race that drew national attention. In 2019, liberal candidate Lisa Neubauer fell short against conservative Brian Hagedorn by about 6,000 votes. The 2023 election between Janet Protasiewicz and Dan Kelly was the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history, with over $45 million in spending. Protasiewicz won by 11 points, setting the stage for the 2026 expansion.

For Wisconsin voters, the implication of the 2026 election is clear: the state Supreme Court will remain under liberal control through at least the 2028 presidential election, barring an unexpected vacancy. That means any challenge to the state’s abortion ban, any redistricting fight tied to the 2030 census, and any election-law dispute arising from the next presidential cycle will be decided by a court with a decisive liberal majority. The price of that stability was a turnout of 48% — high by historical standards but far below what a high-stakes presidential year will demand. For conservatives, the lesson from 2026 is equally concrete: without a massive infusion of outside spending and national media attention, they cannot win a statewide judicial race in Wisconsin. For more details on the race, read our full report: 2026 Wisconsin Supreme Court Election: Taylor Wins by 20. Stay updated with broader political developments: News from the Country and the World: Latest Updates.