Wisconsin Supreme Court races toughly contested, with profound effect on abortion rights
There will be another race next year that pits a conservative incumbent against a liberal challenger.
State Supreme Court races have become among the most critical elections for abortion rights since the Dobbs decision.
In Wisconsin, the recent 2025 election saw overall campaign spending exceeding $100 million. The Dobbs decision in 2022 reinstated an 1849 law in the state that bans abortion, sparking political debates. In 2023, the issue was central, but by 2025, it was overshadowed by Elon Musk's involvement and Donald Trump's influence.
I spoke with Dr. Charles Franklin, a political scientist at Marquette University, about the evolution of abortion politics in Wisconsin over the last few years. Republicans have proposed legislation that would have added exceptions. Still, it fell so far short of the pro-choice policies the governor favored that no progress was made on that legislation.
“The legislative side has had a stalemate on how to adjust to the post-Dobbs world, which just further throws the issue to the state Supreme Court,” Franklin said.
Abortions are still being performed in the state after a district court put an injunction in place. The state Supreme Court will rule on the 1849 ban in the next few months. The last election resulted in a victory for the liberal candidate, Susan Crawford, who defeated Brad Schimel, who the Republican Party backed. It gave Democrats a 4-3 advantage in the voting.
The most recent election didn’t focus as much on abortion, though. The candidates spent more time advertising that they were tough on crime. Elon Musk, for unknown reasons, flooded the Supreme Court races with campaign donations, seeking to support the conservative candidate.
“So in terms of state politics, that shift in the court to a liberal majority, which took place in 2023, is very important for the court that's adjudicating the balance of power between the Democratic governor and the Republican legislature,” Franklin said. “Let alone abortion issues and abortion rights here in the state, but other critical issues like redistricting.”
Next year, Rebecca Bradley, the incumbent Justice, who is considered conservative, will be seeking re-election. Chris Taylor, a liberal judge currently serving on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, has announced her challenge to Bradley.
In another lawsuit, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin is challenging a 20-week ban that was in effect during the Roe era, as well as laws mandating an ultrasound and a 24-hour waiting period.
Franklin has conducted surveys of Wisconsinites and found that more than 60 percent of people support abortion rights in all or most cases.
“The bottom line is the state has had a majority in favor of abortion rights for quite a while, and that hasn't changed much recently,” Franklin said.