Wisconsin GOP rocked as right-wing justice won’t run again citing conservative 'failures'

Republicans in Wisconsin received a blow on Friday, as arch-conservative state Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley announced she will not seek re-election next year, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"The conservative movement needs to take stock of its failures, identify the problem, and fix it," said Bradley in a statement. "I will not seek reelection to the Wisconsin Supreme Court because I believe the best path for me to rebuild the conservative movement and fight for liberty is not as a minority member of the Court."

Rumors that Bradley, a right-wing firebrand who has launched public attacks on her liberal colleagues, would not seek another term on the bench have swirled for months, with speculation further fueled by her lack of a meaningful campaign fundraising haul.

She drew a liberal challenger in Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor, who has the backing of state Democrats.

"The incredible support for Judge Taylor shows how important this race is," said a Taylor spokesperson. "No matter who Republicans and right-wing special interests recruit to run against her, Wisconsinites will once again have a clear choice between a candidate who believes in stripping rights away and Judge Taylor, who has always been on the side of the people."

Wisconsin Supreme Court judicial elections are formally nonpartisan, but in practice, candidates almost always court the backing of one party or the other.

Liberal candidates have won four of the last five Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, flipping control of the court to a 4-3 liberal majority in 2023 with the election of Justice Janet Protasiewicz.

Since then, the court has handed Democrats a number of legal victories, including a forced redraw of the state's heavily GOP-gerrymandered legislative districts and a ruling that struck down Wisconsin's 176-year-old ban on abortion.