Just a week after Chris Taylor won a resounding victory in this year’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election, left-wing Clark County Circuit Court judge Lyndsey Brunette has announced that she will run next year.
Liberal Clark County Circuit Judge Lyndsey Brunette announced Tuesday she is launching a bid for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in the April 2027 election, becoming the first candidate to formally enter the race for the open seat.
Brunette, who has served on the Clark County bench since 2018 after working as the county’s district attorney from 2012 to 2016, said in a statement that she intends to bring a pragmatic, experience-based approach to the state’s highest court.
“Wisconsin families deserve a justice who understands the real-world impact of court decisions on rural communities, small businesses, and everyday people,” she said in video announcing her candidacy.
The announcement comes just days after last week’s April 7, 2026, Supreme Court election, in which Democrat-backed Appeals Judge Chris Taylor defeated conservative Appeals Judge Maria Lazar by a roughly 20-point margin, securing about 60% of the vote.
Taylor’s victory expanded the liberal majority on the seven-member court from 4-3 to 5-2, marking the fourth consecutive win for liberal-backed candidates since 2020. Taylor is scheduled to be sworn in August 1, 2026.
Incumbent Justice Annette Ziegler, a conservative who has served on the court since 2007 and previously served as chief justice, announced in March that she will not seek a third 10-year term. Ziegler, 62, cited a desire to spend more time with family after three decades on the bench.
Her decision creates an open seat and gives liberals an opportunity to push for a 6-1 majority if they hold the seat in 2027.
