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.
In this year’s election in Wisconsin, there is, of course, the first open race for governor in 16 years, where David Crowley is facing Tom Tiffany. There is also a major fork-in-the-road election happening up and down the ballot for control of the Wisconsin State Legislature, where Democrats have their first realistic chance at winning control of both the Senate and Assembly in a generation. Here at The Recombobulation Area, we have previewed every last race on the ballot — that’s right, all 116 of them — and you can check out that preview available for free online right now.
One of the most consequential races in the State Senate is happening in District 21, where current state senator, Republican Van Wanggaard, is not seeking re-election, making this an open seat. The Democrat running to be the next state senator from this district is Trevor Jung, and he joined us for this conversation.
After a quick celebration of the Brewers’ 3-0 NLCS lead over the Dodgers — GO CREW! — Jung shares his path from an orphanage abroad to Racine’s north side, the city council, and his current job as the city’s transit director. He argues that state cuts and levy limits have forced local governments into a cycle of referendums and higher property taxes, and he outlines a platform centered on shared revenue, public schools, and affordability. We also discussed regional rail and transit, the 50-50 nature of the district, and the stark funding contrast between the campaigns.
Find a beat-by-beat breakdown of this conversation here:
00:00 Intro: Wisconsin’s open governor race and the fight for the legislature
01:01 Introducing the open District 21 seat and Trevor Young
01:22 Brewers up 3-0 on the Dodgers: Bauers’ home run and Pat Murphy’s Springsteen fandom
03:30 Trevor’s background: born in an orphanage, raised in Racine
04:30 Public service path: from city hall to running Racine’s transit system
06:05 How Republican control squeezed local government: referendums, property taxes, and MCTS cuts
08:01 Youngest member ever elected to the Racine Common Council
08:50 Transit in Racine, and the case for Chicago-Milwaukee regional connectivity
11:50 Why transportation and housing are connected
13:30 Wisconsin’s population and “brain drain” under 15+ years of GOP control
14:36 Why District 21: a 50-50 microcosm of Wisconsin
16:41 Campaigning in a swing district: leading with affordability
18:11 What voters are saying at the doors: gas, diesel, and the federal government
19:45 Legislative priorities: shared revenue, public schools, cost of living
22:16 A “transportation guy” in Madison: DOT, pedestrian safety, and small business
24:34 Does the property-tax message break through? “If you’re explaining, you’re losing”
27:41 Contrasting with Republican opponent Jim Croft: grassroots vs. billionaire-backed
30:53 Closing thoughts and sign-off
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.
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