Liberal state Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor has continued to outraise her conservative opponent in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, bringing in four times more money than conservative state Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar during the latest campaign fundraising period.
The last major campaign finance reports in the lead up to the April 7 election were due March 30, just over a week before Election Day. The reports show Taylor raised nearly $2.1 million between Feb. 3 and March 23, while Lazar brought in about $515,000, including about $475,000 in monetary donation and the rest in-kind contributions during the same period.
Taylor’s total includes a $700,000 transfer from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, and Lazar received a $60,000 transfer from the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
The latest totals were released as spending numbers show Taylor and her supporters have outspent Lazar and her backers 15-1, according to data released by AdImpact, which tracks television and digital political advertising.
“Wisconsinites know what’s at stake in this election and they’re continuing to step up to make sure our campaign has the resources to reach voters ahead of next Tuesday’s election,” Taylor campaign manager Ashley Franz said in a statement. “Over the final days of this race Judge Taylor is traveling across Wisconsin to speak directly with voters about her experience and commitment to a fair and impartial state Supreme Court.”
Lazar’s campaign had no immediate comment about the fundraising totals.
The latest campaign finance totals show Taylor has raised about $5.6 million in the race to replace conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley, who announced last year that she was not seeking reelection. Lazar has raised nearly $900,000 since she got in the race last fall.
The advertising spending totals, which were provided by AdImpact on March 25, showed Taylor had spent nearly $3.3 million compared to Lazar at about $255,000.
Liberal groups – including A Better Wisconsin Together, which had spent nearly $700,000 on the race – were also far outspending conservative groups, such as the Republican Party of Dane County, which had spent about $15,000 on the race, AdImpact numbers show.
The fundraising and spending numbers are far below those in the 2025 Supreme Court race, which shattered national records for money spent on a judicial race. In that race, liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford defeated conservative Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel by 10 percentage points.
Taylor has been a judge since she was appointed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to the Dane County Circuit Court bench in 2020. She previously served for nine years in the state Legislature and was known as one of the more liberal members. Before joining the state Assembly in 2011, Taylor served as public policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.
She’s been a judge on the Madison-based District IV Court of Appeals since 2023.
Lazar has been on the Waukesha-based District 2 Court of Appeals since 2022. She previously served as a Waukesha County judge, an assistant attorney general under Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, and as an attorney in private practice.
The winner will be elected to a 10-year term on the state Supreme Court.
Liberals currently hold a 4-3 majority on the Supreme Court, and will maintain a majority on the court regardless of who wins. A Taylor victory in April would extend the liberal majority to 5-2, while a Lazar win would maintain the current 4-3 split.
Reporter Eva Wen contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Chris Taylor outraising, outspending Maria Lazar in Supreme Court race
Reporting by Mary Spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
