State Senator Lena C. Taylor was elected on November 2, 2004 to fill the 4th District Senate seat vacated by Senator Gwendolynne Moore when she was elected to Congress.  Previously, Taylor won an April 2003 special election in the 18th Assembly District and served in the State Assembly from May 2003 until she was sworn-in as State Senator on January 3, 2005.

A life-long resident of Milwaukee, Senator Taylor earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in 1990, and a law degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1993.  She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, an organization dedicated to community service.

Taylor worked as a Public Defender for more than two years representing indigent citizens in need of legal services.  In 1996, she opened Taylor and Associates Law Office on the north side of Milwaukee.  She now provides free legal clinics and referrals through Taylor & Associates. 

In February 2005, Senator Taylor was selected by her colleagues as the Chairperson of the Legislative Black and Hispanic Caucus and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors both locally and nationally.

Senator Taylor, 38, and her five-year-old son, Isaiah, live on Milwaukee's northwest side.