MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Wisconsin Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor has announced she's running to challenge conservative state Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley in 2026.
Taylor, a former Democratic lawmaker, is the first liberal candidate to enter the race where she'll take on Justice Bradley for a 10-year term.
In an interview with CBS 58, Taylor said she's running to "fight for people's rights and freedoms."
"I'll be someone who is going to be impartial and be as fair as possible when reaching really important decisions that impact people's lives," Taylor said.
Before becoming an appeals court judge, Taylor served nearly 10 years as a Democrat in the Assembly and previously worked for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin as an attorney and public policy director.
When asked whether she'd recuse herself from cases involving Planned Parenthood if elected, Taylor said she would review those decisions on a “'case-by-case basis.”
"I worked for Planned Parenthood 15 years ago. You usually do not see judges recuse themselves because they worked for a law firm that had an attorney appear before them," she said. "But it's on a case-by-case basis. I take it seriously."
Taylor's announcement comes on the heels of liberals cementing their 4-3 majority on the court at least until 2028 after Susan Crawford's victory in April.
That means next year's contest will not be for control of the bench, which could impact how much money influences that race.
The contest between Crawford and her conservative opponent Brad Schimel was the most expensive judicial contest in U.S. history, topping over $100 million.
Elon Musk spent more than $20 million on the April 1 contest supporting Schimel, including handing out $1 million checks to voters during the final days of the campaign.
Schimel lost by 10 points, a blow to Musk who campaigned in Green Bay days before the election.
On Tuesday, Musk said he's going to cut back on how much he spends on political campaigns.
"I think in terms of political spending, I'm going to do a lot less in the future," Musk said during a forum in Doha, Qatar.
When asked why, Musk responded, "I think I've done enough."
Musk's statement could be a setback to Bradley's campaign. It comes as conservatives are hoping to put an end to liberals' winning streak after they've won the last four out of five state Supreme Court races, all by double-digit margins.