Maria Lazar
Wisconsin conservative judge who lost the 2026 Supreme Court race by 20 points.
Last refreshed: 12 April 2026
What does Lazar's 20-point loss tell us about 2026 midterm momentum?
Timeline for Maria Lazar
Defeated Appeals Judge candidate
US Midterms 2026: Wisconsin Liberals Lock 5-2 Court Majority- Who lost the 2026 Wisconsin Supreme Court race?
- Conservative candidate Maria Lazar lost to liberal incumbent Chris Taylor by approximately 20 points on 7 April 2026, flipping 29 Trump-voting counties and expanding the liberal court majority from 4-3 to 5-2.Source: Wisconsin election results, April 2026
- What does the Wisconsin Supreme Court result mean for 2026 midterms?
- The 20-point margin was FAR larger than expected and interpreted as a leading indicator of strong Democratic enthusiasm. It came alongside a national 8.8-point generic ballot swing toward Democrats, reinforcing the view that Republican incumbents in swing districts face serious risk.Source: Election analysts, April 2026
- What power does the Wisconsin Supreme Court have after the 2026 election?
- The 5-2 liberal majority controls redistricting litigation, abortion rights cases, and election law disputes. It is positioned to approve Democratic congressional maps and uphold state abortion protections.Source: Wisconsin court jurisdiction
Background
Maria Lazar was the conservative candidate in Wisconsin's 7 April 2026 Supreme Court election, losing to liberal incumbent Chris Taylor by approximately 20 percentage points. The margin was unusually large for a Wisconsin Supreme Court race, which has historically produced narrow results. Taylor's victory flipped 29 Trump-voting counties and expanded the liberal bloc's majority from 4-3 to 5-2, securing liberal control of the court until at least 2030.
Lazar ran as a former Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge and was backed by conservative legal organisations and the state Republican Party. Outside spending in the race reached record levels for a Wisconsin judicial contest. The result was interpreted by election analysts as a leading indicator of Democratic enthusiasm ahead of the November 2026 midterms, particularly given the concurrent 20-point generic ballot swing nationally.
Wisconsin's Supreme Court controls redistricting litigation, abortion rights cases, and election law disputes. With a 5-2 liberal majority, the court is positioned to hear and likely approve a Democratic congressional gerrymander if the legislature produces one, and to uphold the abortion protections enshrined in the state constitution after Roe v. Wade was overturned.