Taylor win creates 5-2 progressive majority on State Supreme Court 

Working class candidate victories across the state point to Democratic trifecta   

MADISON – Wisconsin Working Families Party congratulates new State Supreme Court Judge Chris Taylor on her election, along with other winning candidates across the state who are committed to govern for working class Wisconsinites. WI Working Families Party has helped elect a bench of leaders who can run strong campaigns, build community, and deliver on affordable housing, stopping ICE overreach, and changing status-quo politics. In every top-of-the-ticket municipal race with Working Families Party-endorsed candidates, the working families champion won. 

“The spectacular results from today’s Spring elections shows the resonance of WI Working Families Party’s message of fighting for working people as well as the value of our work to turnout voters,” said Corinne Rosen, State Director of the Wisconsin Working Families Party. “In races from the State Supreme Court to mayoral contests to county boards across Wisconsin, voters elected to create a government where we all have a say.” 

Wins in districts currently held by Republicans US Rep. Bryan Steil (CD-1) and US Rep. Derrick Van Ordern (CD-3) demonstrate a growing appetite for change. 

• In CD-1 in southeastern Wisconsin, Robin Cullen won a seat on the Kenosha School Board; we’re awaiting further results from races in Racine and Rock County.
• In CD-3 in southwestern and western Wisconsin, Jeremy Gragert beat a former Chamber of Commerce director to become the Eau Claire City Council President.
  • Ray French won his race for the Eau Claire County Board District 17 and Lori Bica was elected to the Eau Claire School Board. 
  • Kelly Leibold, Kathy Allen, Grant Mathu, Beth Piggush, and Tina Tryggestad were all elected (or re-elected) to the La Crosse County Board. 
  • Dan Hardy beat former state senator Kathy Bernier for Chippewa County Board District 18
  • Matthew Crowe was elected mayor of Menomonie, which is grappling with the construction of data centers. 
  • Mayor Krista Browne of Viroqua beat the former chair of the Vernon County Republican Party in her re-election bid. 
  • Mayor Brady Weiss was re-elected in Mondovi.
• In Fitchburg in Dane County, Mayor Julia Arata-Fratta was reelected as were Alderman Donald Dantzler and Alderman Jake Lepper.
• Alderwoman Alicia Halvensleben beat outgoing state representative Scott Allen to become Waukesha Mayor. Allen was the only Republican in the state legislature to vote no on the bipartisan budget that included the largest special ed increases in state history, the elimination of sales tax on utility bills, and more than $1.3 billion in tax cuts, primarily benefiting middle and working class families, and retirees.
• In the Milwaukee area, Lynne Woehrle was re-elected to the Wauwatosa School Board and Supervisor Jack Eckblad and Supervisor Caroline Gomez Tom were re-elected to the Milwaukee County Board.

This spring WFP endorsed more candidates than ever before and began building infrastructure in Congressional Districts 1 and 3, running direct voter-outreach programs — canvassing, phone banking, and mailers — across both districts and statewide.

This cycle we spent over $30,000 on direct voter contact, including phone calls, mailers, door-knocking, and paid social media. Our partner, Working Families Power, ran a nonpartisan relational program that sent postcards to over 9,000 voters and canvassed nearly 10,000 doors on the Supreme Court race.

Building this infrastructure has never been more critical: a decision on fusion voting in Wisconsin is expected in early 2027, and the work we put in now will position WI WFP to build a party by and for Wisconsin’s working people.

###

The Working Families Party is the party for the working class of all races. We all work hard to take care of our families and contribute to our communities. We deserve leaders that will fight for us. But some politicians are teaming up with greedy corporations to drive up the cost of everything from groceries to housing, childcare and college–and they’re attacking our basic freedoms like abortion rights and the right to vote. The Working Families Party is regular people coming together to fight for a country that puts working people first.