Taylor elected justice, but did you see what happened in Waukesha?

Justice-elect Chris Taylor won an easy victory over conservative Maria Lazar — and a Democrat won the mayor’s race in Waukesha, the former GOP epicenter.

One year ago, the dust had barely settled on Justice Susan Crawford’s Wisconsin Supreme Court victory when political observers had already begun anticipating the next big matchup: if Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor would choose to challenge the court’s conservative firebrand, Justice Rebecca Bradley. Taylor did get in, but Bradley blinked and bailed on seeking another 10-year term, denying voters a guaranteed volley of political fireworks.

What they got instead was a political earthquake from a different Wisconsin race on Tuesday.

While Taylor, a former Democratic legislator, was cruising to victory over conservative Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar — handily winning in places that are usually reliably Republican, one of those places swung even further than expected, as voters in Waukesha elected Democrat Alicia Halvensleben as mayor over former Republican legislator Scott Allen.

“This campaign was about listening, showing up, and doing the work,” Halvensleben posted on Facebook. “I’m grateful to every voter, volunteer, and supporter who made it possible.”

The margin was narrow for Halvensleben, the Common Council president, but the symbolism got national attention, given Waukesha’s reputation as a conservative bulwark for the Republican bastion of Milwaukee’s suburbs. President Donald Trump’s margins of victory consistently shrank with each election. And outgoing Mayor Shawn Reilly even left the Republican Party in 2021 following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, a signal of the disenchantment Wisconsin conservatives have about Trump’s MAGA movement.

The New York Times puts Waukesha in a category of mayoral flips in cities like Omaha and Miami, as well as an ongoing string of special election victories in legislative and congressional seats going back to Trump’s first term.

While national dissatisfaction with Trump was certainly a factor, so was the increasing presence of active local progressives who have made inroads into suburbs in Wisconsin and elsewhere. The spring elections in Wisconsin are nonpartisan in name, but state and county parties frequently endorse and act in support of some candidates. And local groups like Blue Sky Waukesha County research the candidates in order to guide voters seeking advice on the candidates for school boards, local councils, and mayors.

Taylor wins Supreme Court seat

The Supreme Court race was called for Taylor by the Decision Desk only 26 minutes after the polls closed, with Taylor having a roughly 60-40 lead over Lazar, who left no doubts about her far-right leanings. 

Taylor’s victory further cements the notion that Wisconsin only appeared to be a red-leaning state during the last decade because of Republican gerrymandering of legislative and congressional districts. When it comes to statewide contests, where district boundaries cannot be manipulated, progressive and Democratic candidates have now won 16 of the last 19 elections for positions like Supreme Court justice, governor, state attorney general, US senator, and other contests dating back to 2018, when Gov. Tony Evers unseated Republican Scott Walker.

The progressive majority on the court is now 5-2 with Taylor’s win and could grow next year as conservative Justice Annette Ziegler has already said she won’t be running for reelection. Taylor’s victory means that progressives will hold the majority until at least 2030, barring unforeseen departures.