The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Oct. 20, 2025
Wisconsin voters need to brace themselves for another bonkers state supreme election. April 7, 2026 voters will replace Justice Rebecca Bradley, who didn’t seek reelection. Campaign spending for another seat earlier this year reached $115 million dollars, the highest ever for a state supreme court race. Elon Musk’s SuperPAC spent over $21 million in the race.
Two candidates have already declared, conservative Judge Maria Lazar, who sits on Wisconsin’s District 2 Court of Appeals and is a former staff attorney in the state attorney general’s office; and liberal Judge Chris Taylor currently sits on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals after serving for nine years as a state representative, then a Dane County Circuit Court judge.
The election of Justice Janet Protasiewicz in 2024 and Susan Crawford in 2025 flipped the Wisconsin high court liberal, 4 – 3. It also triggered a rehearing, and redrawing, of heavily gerrymandered state legislative maps greenlighted by the previous conservative court. So far, the more liberal court has rebuffed efforts to hear challenges to the current Congressional map endorsed by Governor Tony Evers. But September 25th, it ordered briefs from plaintiffs on whether two cases requesting reconsideration were justified.
Though the court would stay liberal with a conservative win, another Republican justice is up for reelection in 2027. Expect a repeat of 2025, with massive ad spending, much of it from out of state donors.
We have local reporting at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
American Democracy Minute – Pro-Voter Groups Again Challenge ‘Least Change” Congressional Districts in Wisconsin Supreme Court, After Outcome of April’s $100M Court Race
Wisconsin Politics – WisPolitics tally: Supreme Court race spending hit $115 million, doubling record
PBS Wisconsin/AP – Bradley declines 2026 run for reelection to the Wisconsin Supreme Court
BallotPedia – Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, 2026
Wisconsin Public Radio – Conservative Judge Maria Lazar running for Wisconsin Supreme Court
Wisconsin Appeals Court – Judge Chris Taylor
Register or Check Your Voter Registration:
U.S. Election Assistance Commission – How to Register And Vote in Your State
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