Republicans trying to recover after defeats in the November elections are sharply divided over one of the next important electoral tests: statewide judicial elections in the key state of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin voters will go to the polls in April to choose the next justice of the state Supreme Court for the fourth time since 2020. In the last three contests, liberal candidates crushed those backed by Republicans, sending conservatives—who as recently as 2023 held a majority on the court—into deep opposition.
Some Republicans in the state are already arguing over how to try to break this streak of losses: embrace the Republican brand with Trump and everything that comes with it, or try to distance themselves from the party label in an effort to return to less contentious judicial races.
Dilemma of strategy
"If you don't tell your voter where you stand, you will probably reduce their incentive. Think about the liberal side. They will turn out every known Wisconsin voter who opposes Donald Trump."
– said Brandon Scholz, the former executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
The elections are technically nonpartisan, but Republicans and Democrats have poured tens of millions of dollars into recent contests because of the stakes and the potential cases before the court. In July, liberals on the court voted to overturn a 176-year ban on abortion in Wisconsin. In April the court ruled that Democratic Governor Tony Evers could lock in a 400-year increase in school funding using the power of the line-item veto—a decision that also split along ideological lines. Democrats hope the court will take up a redistricting case before the 2026 elections.
Position of the conservative candidate
Conservative court candidate Maria Lazar said in an interview that the best way to regain the seat is to reorient the race away from political extremes.
"This is not Republican versus Democrat. These are judicial elections, and the reason they will be different is that I am, through and through, a judge, not a politician."
– said Lazar, a longtime judge who for the past three years has served on the appellate court in Waukesha in the Milwaukee metro region.
Concerns of Republican strategists
But several prominent Republican operatives in the state are worried that this will not reverse the party's losing streak.
The days when conservative candidates could successfully sell voters vague ideas about jurisprudence and the rule of law are gone, said Scholz, who left the Republican Party in 2021.
The discord appears when Republicans confront the built-in disadvantages of spring elections: they face voters who in recent years have tilted significantly to the left, despite the slim margin in November and Trump’s victory by less than one point in 2024. Democrats, they say, have succeeded in turning out their base.
"These are high-activity voters who are very aware of what is happening in the state, highly educated and very motivated to come out and vote on both sides. The ordinary voter doesn't think, 'Oh, I have to vote in the spring.'"
– said Alejandro Verdin, a Democratic strategist who ran the successful campaign of liberal state judge Janet Protasiewicz in 2023 for the Supreme Court.
The Republicans' only hope
The Republicans' only hope is to mobilize enough of their own voters, said Alek Zimmerman, communications director for Senator Ron Johnson during his 2022 campaign.
"There isn't some big group in the middle you can persuade, but these are very low-turnout elections, and whoever brings their team to the polls wins. I really think that's where their focus needs to be."
– he said.
Candidates and strategies
The filing deadline does not come until January. But Lazar and Chris Taylor, a former Democratic state lawmaker whom Evers appointed to a lower court in 2020, are the only two candidates who have filed to run so far. And although state Republicans have not officially endorsed Lazar, representative Anika Rickard signaled party support, saying, "I think her strategy is a good strategy for these elections."
Lazar recalled the catastrophic 2025 campaign when Susan Crawford defeated conservative Brad Schimel by about 10 points in a race that drew more than $90 million in spending, including piles of money from Elon Musk.
Schimel leaned into his MAGA credentials. The Trump-backed Republican reportedly dressed as the president for Halloween. Musk claimed that "Western civilization" was at risk if Schimel lost.
"I think last year was a vivid example of the horror of what's happening. After all the money was spent and all was said and done, I ask people when I travel the roads now: 'Does anyone know anything about the quality, qualifications, merits of each judicial candidate as a judge?' And the answer I always get is: 'no.'"
– said Lazar.
Criticism of the strategy of distancing from partisanship
But giving up the Republican brand is unlikely to attract enough new voters, strategists warn. This is emblematic of broader problems for Wisconsin Republicans, who struggle to mobilize core Trump supporters when the president himself is not on the ballot.
"I just think voters aren't really into this whole 'Oh, I put on a black robe, and suddenly I'm this mythical creature.' Other lawyers like to hear that, but I think your average voter just doesn't resonate with it."
– said Ben Velke, a longtime senior aide to Johnson and a former candidate for lieutenant governor.
Nathan Conrad, a representative of Lazar's campaign, pointed to policy papers her campaign has posted on its website and said they are focused on articulating her positions through traditional and social media.
"We are addressing the issues and actively talking about them. It sounds like the old lines from past campaigns that lost. We will continue to engage every possible voter and discuss where Maria stands."
– he said.
Context of the elections
The character of these elections is different from the two previous ones, each of which decided which party would hold the majority. In the absence of any resignations, liberal justices will retain the majority at least through 2028, even if they lose in the spring.
But even without a majority at stake, Democrats are confident their voters understand that the same urgency exists after a series of favorable rulings.
"You don't get, you know, plus-10 percentage points in our elections without winning some people in the middle or even people who might lean conservative. I think we understand, perhaps more than other states, how important every election is and how important these Supreme Court elections are."
– said Devin Remiker, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party.
