Do not underestimate Tony Evers
The governor went all-in for David Crowley -- and it worked.
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.
This column is one part of Dan Shafer’s deep-dive mega-breakdown of the election results from Wisconsin’s Aug. 11 partisan primary. Read the full column with all 12 takeaways here.
Each of these 12 takeaways are available as a standalone free version. Find each of those here.
You’ve gotta hand it to Two-Term Tony.
The mild-mannered former science teacher’s effort to pass the torch looked clumsy at times, but — as he so often has — he showed a knack for the bigger picture and reminded everyone why he shouldn’t be underestimated.
Some were baffled when he chose to endorse Crowley over others still in the race, those who included former members of his administration. Many questioned what he was thinking, even wading into this primary in the first place. But he was right not to choose Barnes or Brennan (or Rodriguez or Hughes before them), and instead go with Crowley, helping resurrect his campaign with an endorsement timed to the Milwaukee County executive’s re-launch event in Milwaukee.
Evers didn’t even entertain what-ifs about other candidates winning, saying, “That’s not going to happen. This guy’s gonna win,” pointing to Crowley.
Evers went all-in for Crowley down the stretch, ignoring the polls and repeatedly insisting Crowley would win — right through to a rally on the eve of the primary at The Cooperage in Milwaukee, where he said, “I know in my heart of hearts that David Crowley is the best chance we have of beating Tom Tiffany.”
Could he have timed this endorsement better? No question. Waiting until after he dropped out to back the candidate who he clearly supported all along — I’d heard for years that the governor had thought incredibly highly of the Milwaukee County Executive — was about 3,500 votes away from backfiring in dramatic fashion. But he stuck to his guns and helped see Crowley through to victory.
Holy mackerel, folks. What a move.
Dan Shafer’s work this week has been referenced nationwide, from places like The Guardian, HuffPost and beyond.
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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