Chris Taylor romped to victory in Wisconsin’s Supreme court race over underfunded conservative rival Maria Lazar, declaring in her victory speech that voters she met were “hungry for a government that works for them, for a judiciary that prioritizes them.”
The win by Taylor, a former Democrat lawmaker and policy adviser for Planned Parenthood, will expand liberals’ majority to 5-2 once she’s sworn in August 1.
“Once again, Wisconsin showed the entire nation that we believe that the people should be at the center of government and the priority of our judiciary, not the billionaires, not the most powerful and privileged, but the people,” Taylor told supporters in a Madison hotel ballroom after winning a 10-year term on the high court over her fellow appeals court judge.
With more than 85% of the vote in, Taylor was at 59.8% to 40.1% for Lazar, according to unofficial returns.
The fundraising and spending were tilted heavily in Taylor’s favor.
The liberal appeals court judge and her allies had reported spending $7.9 million heading into the election, giving her a nearly 8-to-1 advantage, according to a WisPolitics tally.
What’s more, a single group reported a $20,000 expenditure for texting to support Lazar, according to a check of independent expenditure reports.
In contrast, 13 of the 20 groups that reported independent expenditures backing Taylor noted GOTV expenses.
In all, Taylor reported $5.9 million raised for the race, including donations that were received after the end of the pre-election reporting period. Lazar reported $946,078.