A historic statewide election defeat has led some Wisconsin Republicans to call for the removal of state GOP Chairman Brian Schmeling, which would amount to a dramatic shift in a battleground state once dominated by the ultra-effective GOP party machine.
Liberal Judge Chris Taylor defeated conservative Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar by more than 20 points in Tuesday night’s state Supreme Court race. The scope of that defeat in a closely divided swing state — the latest in a series of recent GOP defeats — is prompting calls from a growing number of party insiders that the affable Schmeling, a longtime fixture in local Republican politics, should step down from his post at the top of the party.
“As a leader, he has failed,” said Ken Sikora, a state party executive committee member who represents the 8th District.
Discontent is simmering ahead of November’s crucial elections, in which voters will choose Wisconsin’s next governor — and the wide-open 2028 presidential race, where Wisconsin will once again be one of the nation’s top battlegrounds.
His critics say Schming’s departure would be the first step in a long way to revitalize the state’s GOP political machine – once dubbed The “Republican Party’s Seal Team Six” – now seen as having greatly diminished fundraising abilities.
“Although we all had high expectations, I think the timing has run out,” said another congressional district chair of the state GOP executive committee, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations with colleagues. “And now it’s time for us to go in a different direction for our philosophy.”
The Supreme Court election results are the ultimate example of how bad things have gone for the state GOP, Republicans said.
In her blowout victory Tuesday, Taylor won more votes than Lazar in a wide swath of traditionally Republican counties won by President Donald Trump in 2024.
Trump wishes former Vice President Kamala Harris 10 points in 2024 in Outagamie County in eastern Wisconsin. Taylor won it by 16 points This week. Trump won Green Bay’s Brown County by 8 points in 2024. On Tuesday, Taylor won it by 14 points. Taylor also won Ozaukee County in suburban Milwaukee, which a Democrat has not won in a presidential election since 1964.
“Anyone who runs a business, or anyone who runs a sports team, knows that the quarterback needs to win games in order to stay in the quarterback,” the district president said. “And if we’re looking at this like a business, like an operation, we need our leaders to supply the infrastructure to win.”
In a statement, Shiming – who Last year there was an attempt to oust him — told Politico that he is “dedicated to continuing the recovery in November.”
“We must all remember that Tuesday’s results cannot and will not decide the November election,” he said. “Our candidates are in good shape as the Democrats disorganize. We must come together and turn our anger toward the Democrats as we work to defeat them.”
The state GOP pointed to concrete steps it took to support Lazar’s candidacy, including sending mailers, enrolling thousands of poll workers, growing its digital footprint on TikTok and through digital advertising, and launching a dedicated microsite against Taylor last year.
Lazar’s campaign finances tell another story. The state GOP contributed a little more than $163,000. In his coffers throughout the 2026 campaign, largely by far, according to Wisconsin Ethics Commission records The Democratic Party of Wisconsin gave $863,000 to Taylor.
“You need someone in charge of that party who is just a ferocious fundraiser,” said Dan O’Donnell, a Wisconsin talk show host and conservative media editor. “What I said is you have to find Republican Ben Wikler.”
Wikler ran the state Democratic Party from 2019 to 2025, and is widely credited with reviving the party. During his tenure, Wisconsin Democrats raised millions of dollars and changed the way state Supreme Court races were won in Wisconsin.
In total, Taylor raised nearly $6 million in campaign contributions in 2025 and 2026, according to the state Ethics Commission. By comparison, Lazar brought in only about a million.
“No one can overcome that advantage in a swing situation,” former Gov. Scott Walker wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.
But Billy Johnson, another RPW executive committee member representing the state’s 2nd District, told POLITICO that raising money isn’t the only problem facing the beleaguered state party.
“You need to do a lot of things,” he said. “Our messaging is bad. It’s dull. We don’t want to take the fight to the Democrats.”
Lazar’s loss wasn’t the only bad defeat for Republicans on Tuesday. Alicia Halvensleben, a Democrat, upset against scott allen in the mayoral race in Waukesha, long a Republican stronghold in suburban Milwaukee. The GOP has also abandoned Supreme Court races in 2023 and 2025, and only one in state executive office. Currently occupied by a Republican.
“It shows how important a political system is, and the Democrats put their entire force behind Chris Taylor, and we had no equivalent operation,” said Alec Zimmerman, a longtime Republican operative and communications director for Sen. Ron Johnson During his 2022 campaign. “The state GOP seemed a little disorganized, and it certainly had an impact on that race.”
The state party, Zimmerman said, is “feeling a little lost right now.”
Republicans need to change things quickly. Wisconsin has an open race for governor this November, where Trump-backed Rep. Tom Tiffany will face a Wisconsin Democrat emerging from a crowded primary in August. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez and former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes are among the top contenders for their party’s nomination.
Representative. derrick van orden (R-Wis.) — a battleground state member and Democrats’ top target this cycle — said April elections are not a good benchmark in the state because of low participation rates. But he issued a stern warning that his party needs to move faster.
“Republicans in Wisconsin need to wake up and realize that every election; local, state and federal has a real impact on our lives and if we don’t get into the government’s business, the government will get into our business,” Van Orden said in a text message Wednesday morning.
Tiffany’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the confidence in Scheming’s leadership. But some Republicans are already asking questions about the future.
“A lot of people on Tuesday night are watching to see what’s next and where the party should go and who should lead it,” Zimmerman said.
Lisa Kashinsky contributed to this report.
