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.
We are just days away from Election Day for Wisconsin’s wild Democratic gubernatorial primary.
To offer a bigger picture perspective on the state of the race — and much more in Wisconsin’s discombobulating politics — Dan Shafer joined Aaron Rupar of Public Notice to recombobulate on this chaotic primary season on the PN Pod.
Along with the primary, we also talked about Ron Johnson, Derrick Van Orden, Sean Duffy, Tom Tiffany, and all the Wisconsin Republicans who end up in Rupar’s frequent viral cable news clips.
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For a beat-by-beat breakdown of this episode, check out our topics and timestamps below:
(00:00:00) — Intro, guest welcome, and what “The Recombobulation Area” means
(00:02:40) — Tony Romo, the Tavern League of Wisconsin & drunk driving
(00:04:15) — Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race goes national (DSA vs. establishment battle)
(00:04:38) — Francesca Hong’s rise
(00:05:24) — Hong’s CNN moment: the “cancel Thanksgiving” tweet controversy
(00:06:41) — New polling: Hong’s commanding lead after Barnes drops out
(00:07:37) — Why Hong is surging: national attention, ground game, service-industry background
(00:10:55) — Hong’s dominance with young voters; the data center moratorium issue
(00:12:34) — How the establishment lane imploded (Rodriguez campaign finance scandal)
(00:14:42) — Crowley re-enters the race with Evers’ endorsement
(00:16:53) — Looking ahead: Hong vs. Tom Tiffany in November
(00:17:02) — Tiffany’s far-right record (2020 election objector, birthright citizenship, Juneteenth vote)
(00:24:82) — Voter question: will moderates balk at Hong’s DSA ties?
(00:25:15) — Comparing to Ron Johnson’s 2022 win despite similar election-denial baggage
(00:26:32) — Ron Johnson’s conspiracy theories and Uline family backing
(00:31:51) — Mandela Barnes’ 2022 loss, 2026 dropout
(00:38:00) — Down-ballot: Derrick Van Orden’s competitive 3rd District race vs. Rebecca Cooke (or Emily Berge)
(00:40:20) — 7th District GOP primary: Sean Duffy’s 26-year-old son-in-law, Michael Alfonso
(00:47:41) — Sean Duffy’s fading Wisconsin presence & the still-unaired “road trip” show
(00:44:21) — Closing thoughts
Watch this episode on The Recombobulation Area’s YouTube Channel here:
For audio-only listeners, you can find us on Apple Podcasts (available here), or Spotify (find the feed here).
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Thank you Kim Suhr, Leslie in CA, Heather, Loni Anderson, Anne T, and many others for tuning into my live video with Aaron Rupar! Join me for my next live video in the app.
Dan Shafer is a 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.
