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.
The race in Assembly District 61 could determine which party controls the Assembly. Democratic challenger Ben Brist is taking on Republican incumbent Bob Donovan.
This is an incredibly important race.
So, we sat down with Brist to talk about his background, his career in military service, and his path to running for office for this Milwaukee County district that includes Greenfield, Greendale, Hales Corners and parts of Franklin and the city of Milwaukee. If Brist defeats Donovan, Democrats could win control of the Assembly for the first time in 16 years.
In this episode, we of course start things off by talking about the MILWAUKEE BREWERS WORLD SERIES VICTORY, and what that’s meant for the city, region and state. From there, Brist shares his path from Madison to West Point and seven years as an Army infantry officer and paratrooper, and how leading a 155-soldier company shaped his focus on common purpose. He names cost of living, healthcare access, and property taxes, education funding, and local services as the top issues he hears at the doors, and makes his case for new leadership over what he calls Donovan’s career in politics.
“I think people are waking up and they’re realizing that Donovan is a career politician who’s been running for office basically since 1982 and he hasn’t stopped,” he said.
On Donovan’s career, and how he would seek to be different from the well-known area politician: “I think it's just broadly the difference of living a life of public service and living one seeking public office.”
For a beat-by-beat breakdown of this episode, see below.
00:00:15: Intro and welcome; Dan Shafer introduces the Wisconsin Assembly District 61 race (Ben Brist vs. Bob Donovan)
00:00:58: Ben Brist joins the show
00:01:15: Brewers World Series win and how Ben watched the games (Panther Pub in Greendale, American Family Field watch party)
00:03:28: Ben’s family baseball memories and the Milwaukee celebration, including the parade and school closures
00:04:17: Why this race matters: one of the most competitive seats in the Assembly
00:05:05: Ben’s background: growing up in Madison, West Point, seven years in the Army, and returning to Wisconsin
00:06:46: Life in the spotlight of a true toss-up race; the path to flipping the Assembly after 16 years
00:07:53: Outside money in the race and Ben’s face-to-face voter outreach
00:08:27: Top-of-ticket spending (Tiffany vs. Crowley) and the effect of the Brewers run on campaign attention
00:09:53: What Ben took from military service: leadership as a company commander of 155 soldiers, selfless service, and common purpose
00:12:12: Describing District 61 (Greendale, Greenfield, Hales Corners, parts of Milwaukee and Franklin) and its purple makeup
00:13:35: Republican control of the Assembly under Robin Voss and the lack of bipartisanship
00:14:56: How the stakes of flipping the Assembly come up with voters
00:16:17: Top voter issues: cost of living, healthcare access, and property taxes/education funding/local services
00:19:13: Contrasts with opponent Bob Donovan: name recognition, voting record, and “career politician” critique
00:22:44: Dan’s discussion of Donovan’s district moves, residency questions, and record
00:24:27: Generational change in Wisconsin politics and the “young slate” with David Crowley and Trevor Jung
00:27:00: Closing thoughts: how to get involved, the district’s 50-50 nature, and the final days of the campaign
00:28:07: Sign-off and thanks
Watch this episode on The Recombobulation Area’s YouTube Channel here:
For audio-only listeners, you can find The Recombobulation Area podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Here’s this episode, embedded below:
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.
Subscribe to The Recombobulation newsletter here and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @ therecombobulationarea.
Already subscribe? Get a gift subscription for a friend.
Part of a group who might want to subscribe together? Get a group subscription for 30% off!
Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer, at BlueSky at @danshafer.bsky.social, and on Threads at @danshafer.
