MADISON, Wis. — Judge Chris Taylor won the election for the State Supreme Court, securing a 5 to 2 liberal-leaning majority on the bench.
Less than an hour after polls closed, supporters at Taylor's watch party in Madison began cheering and celebrating the announcement. Judge Maria Lazar called Taylor to concede the race.
"People are hungry for judiciary that prioritizes them, that protects that protects our rights, that affords all Wisconsinites equal justice under the law. That is exactly what I will do as your next state supreme court justice," Taylor said. "This was a grassroots campaign about the people of the state of Wisconsin, and tonight, the people of Wisconsin spoke, and what you said is clear, we are moving forward."
WATCH: Supporters of Chris Taylor celebrate State Supreme Court victory at watch party
Taylor is the fourth consecutive liberal-leaning candidate to win this election. She will become the third current justice with experience as a Dane County Circuit Court judge, joining Jill Karofsky and Susan Crawford. Before becoming a judge, Taylor worked for Planned Parenthood and served as a Democratic lawmaker for 10 years.
Her 10-year term on the State Supreme Court begins in August.
WATCH: TMJ4's chief political reporter Charles Benson breaks down the numbers behind Chris Taylor's win
During her speech, Taylor spoke about support for reproductive rights and workers unions.
Milwaukee resident Sandy Solo attended the event.
"The biggest one would be women's rights, rights to our bodies. We don't need the government telling us what to do with our bodies," Solo said.
Carthage College Democrats club member and student Aiden Johnson pointed to Taylor's stance on voting rights.
"Just her commitment to individual rights and voting rights and making sure that our votes count and matter. The fight against the gerrymandered maps, that was really huge to get those maps struck down by the Supreme Court. That's why races like these matter, your state races matter," Johnson said.
Sun Prairie resident Larry Legro also shared his reasons for supporting Taylor.
"Anybody that's pro labor is, you know, my antennas go up, and I just like to support them, because they support us," Legro said.
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