If you were looking for wisconsin supreme court race live results tonight, you might be wondering why the tickers aren’t moving. Honestly, it's because the calendar is playing tricks on everyone. We are currently in mid-January 2026, and while the "Spring Election" cycle is technically underway, the actual voting hasn't started yet.
But there’s a massive reason why the "live" part of this race is happening in boardrooms and campaign offices rather than at the ballot box right now. The field is officially set. As of the January 6 filing deadline, the race for the seat currently held by Justice Rebecca Bradley has been whittled down to just two candidates. Because there are only two people running, the state canceled the February primary.
You've basically got a straight shot to April 7, 2026. No warmup lap. No primary to weed out the weak. It’s just Judge Maria Lazar and Judge Chris Taylor facing off in what is shaping up to be yet another high-stakes, high-dollar brawl for the future of Wisconsin’s highest court.
The Candidates Who Actually Made the Ballot
It’s kinda wild how quickly this field narrowed. Last year, everyone was bracing for a massive primary, but things settled into two very distinct camps.
Judge Maria Lazar is currently on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals (District II). She’s the pick for those who want to keep a conservative presence on the bench. Before she was a judge, she worked in the Wisconsin Department of Justice under Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen. She’s leaning heavily into a "rule of law" platform, basically arguing that judges shouldn’t be legislating from the bench.
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On the other side, you’ve got Judge Chris Taylor. She’s also an Appeals Court judge (District IV) but comes from a very different background. Taylor was a Democratic state representative for years and worked as the policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. Her campaign is very much about "protecting rights," and she’s already secured endorsements from the liberal wing of the current court, including Justices Janet Protasiewicz and Rebecca Dallet.
Why There Are No Live Vote Totals Yet
Since the primary was scrapped, you won't see any "percent reporting" numbers until the night of April 7, 2026.
Wisconsin law says you only need a primary if there are more than two candidates for a nonpartisan judicial office. Since nobody else jumped in by the January deadline, Lazar and Taylor both got a free pass straight to the general election.
This is actually pretty rare for a race with this much national attention. Usually, there's at least one "spoiler" or third candidate that forces a February runoff. Instead, the "live results" people are tracking right now are mostly fundraising totals and internal polling.
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Recent Polling and Fundraising Vibes
- Fundraising: Chris Taylor reported raising over $584,000 back in July 2025, and that number is expected to have exploded now that the 2026 cycle is in full swing.
- The Big Money: We’re still waiting on the January 2026 campaign finance reports to see how much Maria Lazar has banked since she entered the race in late 2025.
- The Stakes: While the 2025 race (won by Susan Crawford) was a record-breaker with nearly $100 million spent, experts are debating if this one will hit those heights. Since the liberal majority is already secured 4-3, this race won't flip the court, but it could extend the liberal lead to 5-2 or keep the conservatives within striking distance.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Race
A lot of folks think this election could flip control of the court. That’s actually not true this time around.
The incumbent, Justice Rebecca Bradley, is one of the conservative voices on the court. She decided not to run for re-election. So, if Maria Lazar (the conservative-leaning candidate) wins, the court stays at a 4-3 liberal majority. If Chris Taylor (the liberal-leaning candidate) wins, that majority grows to 5-2.
The "balance of power" isn't technically on the line, but the "margin of power" absolutely is. A 5-2 majority is a lot harder to overcome in future years than a 4-3 split where one justice might occasionally cross over.
Why This Race Still Matters for 2026 and Beyond
Even if the majority doesn't flip, the Wisconsin Supreme Court is basically the most powerful body in the state. They’ve recently handled everything from redistricting (the "gerrymandering" maps) to abortion access and election rules.
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You’ve gotta remember that Wisconsin is often decided by less than 1% in presidential and gubernatorial races. The rules the court sets for how absentee ballots are handled or how drop boxes are used can literally decide who wins the state in the 2028 presidential cycle.
Actionable Steps for Wisconsin Voters
Since we don't have live returns to stare at tonight, here is what you actually need to do to be ready for the real deal in April.
- Check your registration: If you moved over the holidays, you might not be registered at your current address. Go to the MyVote Wisconsin website and double-check.
- Request your mail-in ballot now: You don't have to wait for April. You can put in the request today so it arrives the moment they are printed.
- Watch the late January finance reports: Around the end of this month, we'll see exactly who is funding these campaigns. This is usually when the "dark money" groups start buying up all the TV ad space.
- Mark April 7, 2026, on your calendar: That is the only day that matters for the wisconsin supreme court race live results.
The race is a dead heat in terms of energy. Both Lazar and Taylor are seasoned judges with deep roots in their respective political circles. Even without a primary, expect the next three months to be some of the loudest political campaigning the state has ever seen.