Maria Lazar’s campaign was doomed long before she entered the race.

The most convenient narrative is to blame the state Republican Party or the candidate’s campaign for last month's Supreme Court loss. However, the real problem sits upstream: conservative print and talk radio which influences opinions – and the donor class - every single day.

After Brad Schimel’s loss one year ago, conservative pundits lit the match for a self-fulfilling prophecy. Radio host Dan O’Donnell and writer Jessica McBride treated Justice Rebecca Bradley’s retirement announcement as a signal that her seat was unwinnable. That may have been her (Bradley's) calculus, but by amplifying it, conservative media pundits discouraged the emergence of any other candidate to bring together the elements of a successful campaign.

Let’s understand, the media lives and breathes politics 24/7. That’s their job. Their insight carries weight. Conservatives are fighting the news media every day. For them, three cycles of combined Supreme Court and Gubernatorial losses foretold another defeat - no matter the candidate. It may take an act of God to change the flow of this river of commentary.

After Bradley left the race in August, Lazar wouldn’t enter the race for another two months, in October 2025, she measured the landscape while others declined to run altogether, deterred by the pessimistic drumbeat. It didn’t matter how strong Bradley’s replacement might be, whether they learned lessons from Schimel’s and Dan Kelly’s past losses, or if the liberal candidate had uniquely terrible vulnerabilities. It was like your friend whispering “the house always wins” as you place bets at a casino.

Imagine if they advised Barack Obama’s campaign. His slogan might have been “Maybe We Can” and “Hope” would be determinant upon “We Win if The Sun Shines” for the 14 days of early voting. Perhaps praying for a post office strike. Is winning determinant upon external factors?

Democrats don’t talk like that. They sell momentum, pick a villain, and fight everywhere – even on hostile turf. Everything rides on even the most deepest flawed candidate – some who have had criminal histories.

Leadership – even in the wrong direction – is a powerful force.

Now that their predictions have been realized, the same pundits have already declared defeat in 2027.

Just two months ago, Justice Annette Ziegler announced she would not seek re-election at the end of her term next year. Immediately, O’Donnell and McBride repeated the same refrain: if she couldn’t win, no one else could. Yet, at the time, not a single candidate - liberal or conservative – had yet entered that race.

Liberals meanwhile should feel invincible and could nominate any schmuck to the bench. Could Josh Kaul – with his abysmal oversight of the state’s crime lab - or a soft-on-crime Milwaukee jurist routinely criticized on talk radio truly be guaranteed a winner in next year’s election?

Here’s how the 2026 fuse led to disaster:

Start with the money. Wisconsin’s donor class—including megadonors Dick Uihlein and Diane Hendricks—typically pours millions into TV advertising, mailers, and field operations. This time, they stayed on the sidelines, contributing only the $20,000 individual limit. The donor class’s absence led to a devastating 16:1 financial imbalance. Chris Taylor owned the airwaves without a reply. Conservative infrastructure disappeared. Without funding to the Republican Party their staff was cut just to keep the lights on. Political action committees declined involvement. No television ads. No digital marketing. No direct mail. County Republican county parties mirrored that retreat. Democrats mobilized aggressively with no resistance.

(This is what the Iranian leaders must feel like today)

Then the ground game seized in their tracks. Volunteers were ready across the state – but were left without the basic tools to operate. Without the fuel of the donor class, Lazar supporters were left without walk books, phone lists, or literature to turn out the conservative base. Even rising groups like Turning Point focused on fighting Christian school administrators and building their brand without providing an outlet for their supporters’ political energy or testing new tactics.

The outcome was predictable. A larger majority on the new Supreme Court will be devastating liberal firewall even if Tom Tiffany wins the Governorship and Republicans retain the Legislature.

It’s time for conservative media to take responsibility, rather than pointing fingers everywhere else. Even the day before the election, Mr. O’Donnell hosted Judge Lazar and had a long pause, wondering if he should perform an intervention to curb her enthusiasm that she could win in a low turnout race.

Elections are storms: you survey the damage, rebuild, and get ready for the next one. The average voter may never attend a party meeting. But many listen to talk radio every day. WISN and WIBA are not just entertainment. They exist to be significant. But the current malaise transorms a purple state blue in the face. Radio accelerates Wisconsin’s political climate change.

When a cloud casts its shadow, donors don’t give, organizations don’t engage, and candidates aren’t able to run with the needed confidence, enthusiasm, and passion to win. That’s not commentary—that’s sabotage.

New candidates or party chairs are not the cure. Conservatives often live with a “hobble” syndrome: Pressing forward after shooting themselves – or their friends – in the foot. This is not confined to talk radio. Prognosticators in every corner often reduce the hard work required in campaigns down to a “Do you think it will be heads or tails” sports bet.

Our next win depends upon ALL conservatives - including the media, donor and consultant classes - remembering we are the party of better ideas, innovation, and talent. Winning is still possible and they should allow campaigns to take shape without prematurely declaring defeat. Once we know we can win, then let’s discuss messaging, tactics and strategy.

November is approaching quickly.

And we can still rally our team from a 7-2 loss back to Court dominance with a win in 2027.