Wisconsin Supreme Court race: Lazar, Taylor final push for voters
Lazar, Taylor final push for voters
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Maria Lazar and Chris Taylor held campaign events Saturday, a final push ahead of next week's election.
MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Maria Lazar and Chris Taylor held campaign events Saturday, a final push ahead of next week's election, with a recent poll finding most registered voters were still undecided.
Who are the candidates?
What they're saying:
The race is for a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Lazar, an appeals court judge from Brookfield, is the conservative-backed candidate. Taylor, an appeals court judge from Madison, is the liberal-backed candidate.
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"I'm hoping that everyone who does think about this election looks at who the two candidates are, looks at my experience, the depth of it, the breadth of it, the various areas that I've been in as a judge," said Lazar. "I'm hopeful that they will go out, they will vote to put someone on this court, and when they do, when I'm elected on this court, I make only one promise I will spend 10 years – that's the 10-year term – I will spend the next 10 years working so hard for everyone in this state."
"I'm feeling really inspired by the incredible grassroots support that I'm receiving, and, you know, I'm really hopeful. I think that Wisconsinites are really hungry for a judge who prioritizes them and stands up for them, rather than the billionaires and the most powerful and privileged," said Taylor. "That's what I've always done throughout my 30-year legal career, and certainly as the last six years being a judge."
Wisconsin Supreme Court (SCOWIS)
FOX6 News spoke to both Lazar and Taylor at their respective events on Saturday, getting answers directly from the candidates about issues like abortion law and their final messages for voters. You can hear from each candidate below.
One of the issues that's been front-and-center throughout the campaign is election security and integrity. Wisconsin is one of 22 states suing the Trump administration over the president's executive order that aims to restrict mail-in voting and give the federal government access to more voting data. It's an issue Lazar and Taylor found agreement on, though with different tones in their answers Saturday.
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"There are people in the state who go on vacation, and they want to do something absentee, they want to do a mail- in (ballot). I just don't think that that's an area that we should approach," said Lazar. "I think that if they want to do that in other states, that's their prerogative. But we Wisconsinites are sort of a stubborn group, and we like what we have, and I think we like that law, and I would agree."
"Our elections have been constantly under attack, and I have a steel spine when it comes to protecting our rights and freedoms, our democracy and our elections," said Taylor. "We also need a really strong court to resist the overreach we're seeing from the federal government. They are trying to come into our state and take over certain functions like how we run our elections."
Maria Lazar
Maria Lazar on abortion, final campaign push
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Maria Lazar spoke about her final message for voters and her stance on abortion at a campaign event on Saturday.
Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor on abortion, final campaign push
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Chris Taylor spoke about her final message for voters and her stance on abortion at a campaign event on Saturday.
Supreme Court race
Big picture view:
The outcome of the race will not change control of the court. Liberals currently hold a 4-3 majority. If Lazar wins, the court remains 4-3. If Taylor wins, liberals would expand their majority to 5-2.
Spending in the race has dropped significantly compared to last year. The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign reported outside groups had spent about $683,000 as of March 25, compared to more than $100 million spent in last year's Wisconsin Supreme Court race in which liberal-backed Susan Crawford defeated conservative-backed Brad Schimel.
Undecided voters
By the numbers:
The latest Marquette University Law School poll, the results of which were released on March 24, found many registered voters remain undecided in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
Marquette Law Poll: State Supreme Court race, voters largely undecided
A new Marquette Law School Poll of Wisconsin released on Tuesday, March 24, finds registered voters have begun to tune into the state Supreme Court election on April 7, but many remain undecided.
Taylor led Lazar in the poll 23% to 17%, though more than half of registered voters (53%) remain undecided and another 7% said they would not vote. Among likely voters, those who said they are certain to vote, 30% supported Taylor and 22% favored Lazar, with 46% undecided.
The poll showed more Republicans than Democrats were undecided among registered voters. Republicans heavily prefer Lazar and Democrats heavily prefer Taylor. Independents leaned Taylor, though a sizable group of independents said they won’t vote in the election.
When is the election?
What's next:
Early voting runs through Sunday, April 5. Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7.
The Source: FOX6 News spoke to both Lazar and Taylor at their respective campaign events on April 4. Additional information is from the Marquette University Law School poll and prior election-related coverage.