‘Undecided’ leads in Wisconsin Supreme Court race, poll shows

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Wisconsin Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor, the liberal candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, is leading her conservative opponent, State Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar, by about 5 percentage points — but the vast majority of voters haven’t decided whom they are going to vote for in April, according to a new Marquette University Law School poll.

The poll, which was released on Feb. 25, found Taylor had 17% of the vote compared to Lazar with 12% among registered voters, while 66% said they were undecided. The margin of error was about 4 percentage points with 818 Wisconsinites surveyed between Feb. 11 and Feb. 19.

Among likely voters who say they are certain to vote in the election, Taylor led Lazar by about 7 percentage points, 22% to 15% with 62% saying they were undecided.

Charles Franklin, the poll’s director, said it’s clear people haven’t “tuned in” to the races for Supreme Court or Wisconsin governor.

The election will take place April 7.

Lazar campaign spokesman Nathan Conrad said the poll shows that despite the “millions of dollars” Taylor has raised, “this race is still undecided.”

“And we’re going to fight tooth and nail for every vote,” Conrad said.

Ashley Franz, Taylor campaign manager, said, “Wisconsinites know that Judge Chris Taylor is the only candidate who will protect their rights and freedoms on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. We’re proud of the support we’ve earned, but we aren’t taking anything for granted.”

Only about 6% said they had heard a lot about the Supreme Court race, while some 55% said they had heard a little and 38% said they had heard nothing, according to the poll. That’s compared to the 2025 Supreme Court race, when by February last year 39% said they had heard a lot, 42% said they had heard a little, and 19% said they had heard nothing.

The 2025 race, which went on to become the most expensive in United States history, determined the partisan makeup of the court. Justice Susan Crawford, the liberal candidate in the race, defeated conservative candidate Brad Schimel.

Liberals now hold a 4-3 majority on the court. A Taylor victory in April would extend that majority to 5-2, and a Lazar win would maintain the current split.

Taylor and Lazar are scheduled to participate in a televised debate on March 25.

Taylor, who got in the race last May, was appointed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to the Dane County Circuit Court bench in 2020. She previously served for about 10 years in the state Legislature and was known as one of the most 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 Attorneys General J.B. Van Hollen and Brad Schimel, and as an attorney in private practice.

Earlier this month, Taylor’s campaign reported that it had raised about $3.4 million so far, shortly before it announced it was launching a six-figure TV ad buy starting in Madison, Milwaukee and Green Bay.

Lazar, who got in the race in October, nearly doubled her fundraising totals in the race by the end of January, but was still trailing Taylor by a wide margin when it came to fundraising.

A majority of people polled said they hadn’t heard enough about Taylor or Lazar to have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of them. Taylor’s net favorable rating is slightly positive, while Lazar’s is slightly negative.