Liberal Judge Chris Taylor enters 2026 race for Wisconsin Supreme Court

The next battle for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court is shaping up, with liberal state Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor announcing Tuesday that she will challenge conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley.

While the race won’t tip the balance of power on the state’s highest court like the last two Supreme Court contests, it could potentially grow liberals’ current majority.

Taylor got right to work attacking Bradley in a statement announcing her candidacy, accusing Bradley of being “more interested in pushing her own right-wing political agenda than protecting Wisconsinites’ rights and freedoms.”

“Extremism and partisanship have no place on our state’s highest court,” Taylor said. “Everyone who comes before the court deserves to be heard, respected, and treated equally — that’s exactly what I’ll do as a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice.”

Bradley didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Taylor’s entry into the race.

In a statement, Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair Brian Schimming said Taylor’s “extreme partisan record has never been on full display outside of Dane County.”

“After ‘liberal express lane’ elections in Dane County and an appointment from Tony Evers, Radical Democrat Chris Taylor will now have to answer for her extremely partisan record in the legislature and on the bench,” Schimming said.

Taylor has sat on Wisconsin’s District IV Court of Appeals since winning an election in April 2023, in which she was unopposed. Before that, she was appointed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to the Dane County Circuit Court and served for nine years as a Democrat in the Wisconsin Assembly, representing parts of Madison. 

Taylor has also worked as a private attorney and public policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.

In an interview with WPR, Taylor said she’s not hiding what her values are.

“My values are that women and families should have the ability to make their most personal, private health care decisions,” Taylor said. “But as a judge, what I do every single day is look at the facts of the case and apply the law in the most fair way possible.”

Taylor said she’s not concerned about other liberal candidates getting into the race.

“I will run a very strong race, regardless of whether I have a primary or not,” Taylor said. “My goal is to defeat Rebecca Bradley. I believe that I can do it.”

Bradley was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2016 after being appointed by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker the year before. Prior to joining the high court, Walker appointed Bradley as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge in 2012 and a District I Court of Appeals judge in 2015. Bradley also worked as a private attorney before joining the bench.

Bradley told WisPolitics in April she’s was planning to run for relection to “ensure that there is a voice for the constitution and for the rule of law” in Wisconsin following liberal Justice Susan Crawford’s decisive victory against Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimmel.

Bradley panned the Supreme Court’s current liberal majority as an “extremely radical court” and said she would be assessing “a path to achieving a court that is not led by and dominated by the radical left.” 

The announcements by Taylor and Bradley come after Wisconsin set yet another record for campaign spending on a judicial race. All told, more than $100 million went toward supporting the Crawford and Schimel campaigns according to WisPolitics, which is nearly double the previous record set in 2023. 

Liberals currently hold a 4-3 majority on the court, a split that will remain unchanged after Crawford takes office Aug. 1. A Bradley victory next year would keep that 4-3 margin intact. Should she lose, it would give liberals a 5-2 edge on the court.