COMING SOON: 'Brick By Brick: What it takes to rebuild the Blue Wall'
Dan Shafer joins a panel of journalists and political experts for a post-primary conversation on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 12 p.m. CT.
The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time 21-TIME! Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer.
Hey there, Recombobulation Area subscribers! Our friends at UpNorthNews invited us to join this event coming up on Wednesday, and now I’m inviting you to join us! See the details below, and register to join us. It’s free to attend. Hope to see you there! —Dan
The primaries are over — but the results are only the beginning of the story.
What did voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota just tell us about the road to November? What concerns are driving people at the local level? Which candidates, issues, and turnout signals could shape the midterms in three of the country’s most consequential states?
Join The Gander, UpNorthNews, and COURIER Minnesota on August 19 at 1:00 PM ET/Noon CT for a hyperlocal, virtual post-primary conversation with journalists and political experts who live and work in the Blue Wall states.
This is not the conventional national-panel coverage you’ll see on cable news. It’s an opportunity to hear directly from people on the ground — reporters and analysts who understand the communities, the stakes, and the stories behind the results.
Featuring:
Professor David Schultz, Distinguished University Professor of Political Science, Environmental Studies, and Legal Studies at Hamline University
Norris J. Howard III, co-host of the Daily Detroit & Point of Disorder Podcasts
Julie Campbell-Bode, Founder Distill Social
Dan Shafer, journalist and founder of The Recombobulation Area
COURIER’s Wisconsin, and Minnesota newsroom correspondents
Together, we’ll move state by state — from Michigan to Wisconsin to Minnesota — to unpack the surprises, voter mood, turnout signals, and pivotal races emerging from the primaries. If you care about the outcome of the midterms, this is a rare chance to get a clear-eyed, locally grounded read on what voters are thinking — and what comes next.
Please use this link to register.
Dan Shafer is an independent journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. He worked with Civic Media from 2024 to 2026. He’s written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 24 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.
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Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer, at BlueSky at @danshafer.bsky.social, and on Threads at @danshafer.