Colón launches 2027 SCOWIS campaign, becoming second liberal-backed candidate in race

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It hasn't even been a month since the last state Supreme Court race, but the field is already growing for the 2027 court election, at least on the liberal side. Appellate Judge Pedro Colón launched his campaign Tuesday, becoming the second candidate to enter next year's Supreme Court race. 

Both declared candidates, Colón and Clark County Circuit Court Judge Lyndsey Brunette, are progressive-backed candidates. They are seeking to replace Annette Ziegler, a conservative justice who announced last month she will not seek a third 10-year term.

Ziegler's departure gives liberals a shot at a commanding 6-1 majority on the court. Earlier this month, Justice-elect Chris Taylor's landslide victory gave progressives a 5-2 majority, and it ensured liberals will control the court for the rest of this decade.

Colón has served on the Court of Appeals in the first appellate district, based in Milwaukee County, since 2023. Prior to that, he presided as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge since 2010.

In an interview with CBS 58 Tuesday, Colón highlighted his experience prior to his time on the bench. He served in the Legislature as a Democrat representing Milwaukee's south side from 1999 to 2010. 

A 'PhD in Wisconsin'

Colón specifically highlighted his time on the powerful Joint Finance Committee between 2006 and 2010. The committee rewrites the state's budget every two years, and Colón said that experience enabled him to understand every aspect of state government and how the law touches it.

"Joint Finance is how we fund everything - education, corrections, transportation, everything imaginable," Colón said. "I'd like to say in Joint Finance, it was a PhD in Wisconsin. That's what I call my PhD in Wisconsin, because everything moves through that."

Brunette's background is more confined to the courtroom. Prior to her time as a judge, she was elected district attorney of Clark County, which covers mostly rural communities in a stretch of central Wisconsin between Stevens Point and Eau Claire.

Brunette launched her campaign nearly two weeks ago with a video release. A spokeswoman for Brunette's campaign said she was unavailable for an interview Tuesday due to her court schedule and provided a statement for this story.

"I’m running for the Wisconsin Supreme Court to be a justice who will follow the facts, uphold the law, and defend our Constitution," Brunette said in the statement. "That means protecting Wisconsinites' personal healthcare rights, safeguarding voting rights, supporting public safety, and ensuring fairness for all."

Brunette would appear to have an early advantage in the race, as she's already hired some of the campaign staff from Taylor's successful run this spring.

Colón said he wasn't deterred by Brunette's early campaign infrastructure. 

"Look, I've always been the underdog in every race I've ever been in," he said. "I welcome the opportunity to tell Wisconsinites that this is an authentic race, not guided by consultants and by things that are really not relevant."

A liberals-only campaign?

It's doubtful Colón was actually an underdog in his re-election bids for a legislative seat from Milwaukee. UW-La Crosse Political Science Professor Anthony Chergosky said the lack of an incumbent in next year's race makes this campaign more attractive.

"It is not often that these seats open up," Chergosky said. "And when an incumbent steps aside, that is a golden opportunity for someone to launch a campaign."

Liberal-backed candidates have won the last four state Supreme Court elections and five of the last six, going back to 2018. Since 2000, all four liberal wins have been landslides, especially for a state where five of the last seven presidential elections were decided by less than one percentage point.

Because of that, Chergosky said it's possible the 2027 race will feature only liberal candidates.

"I don't think there's any guarantee that a conservative candidate will even enter the race," he said. "Because the probability of winning seems so small for that side right now."

A spotlight on campaign finance?

When asked about his priorities, Colón highlighted the same issues Brunette and past liberal candidates have: Election laws, redistricting and abortion rights.

Colón said he agreed with a three-judge panel that on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit seeking to strike down the state's congressional maps. The panel concluded it did not have the authority to decide whether a set of maps unfairly favors one party over another, and it found only the state Supreme Court can weigh in on that question.

Beyond that, Colón said he believed state Supreme Court races have become worse off because of the 2010 Citizens United ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. It opened the door for unlimited donations from corporations and unions to independent political committees. 

"I am bound by the decisions of the Supreme Court," Colón said. "But I do find it interesting that corporations have rights. As a law student, I never would've imagined that would be such a case."