Judge Chris Taylor won the Wisconsin Supreme Court race over conservative candidate Maria Lazar on Tuesday, increasing the amount of liberal justices on the court to a 5-2 advantage compared to conservatives with another conservative seat up for election next year.
Multiple media outlets called the race less than an hour after polls closed with Taylor holding a 61% to 39% advantage with 72% of the votes counted.
Taylor will serve a 10-year term.
“Tonight, the people of Wisconsin spoke,” Taylor said in a statement. “What they said is clear – we are moving forward, for our rights, for our democracy, for every family in this state that deserves a shot at at justice.”
The candidates were vying to replace conservative justice Rebecca Bradley for a 10-year term on the court. Both candidates are currently appellate court judges.
Conservative Annette Ziegler has announced that she will not run again in 2027.
Taylor is a former Democratic Party state representative who has also represented Planned Parenthood as a lawyer.
