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.
Less than a week after the election, Lieutenant Governor-elect Sarah Godlewski joins us at The Recombobulation Area — on her birthday, no less!
Godlewski is the former State Treasurer, the current Secretary of State, and will soon be Wisconsin’s next Lieutenant Governor.
We talked about Election Night, and an unexpectedly early call in the governor’s race. We talked about Democrats flipping the legislature — and sharing the stage with soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Dianne Hesselbein and soon-to-be Assembly Speaker Greta Neubauer at their election night party in Milwaukee — and if that gives them a “mandate” in Wisconsin.
She also talked about generational change, and the rise of the millennials in Wisconsin politics.
Godlewski also looked ahead to the transition period, which ramps up this week, and about what Godlewski plans to do as Lieutenant Governor and the role she’ll play in this administration.
Finally, we went rapid-fire through a host of issues, like public education funding, child care, marijuana legalization, Act 10, Medicaid expansion, redistricting, and more.
And with an eye on the bigger picture, Godlewski talked about what she referred to as the “Wisconsin promise,” saying, “If you work hard, you play by the rules, you should be able to buy a home, raise a family, and retire with dignity.”
For a beat-by-beat breakdown of this episode, see below:
00:00:14: Welcome and introduction of Lt. Governor-elect Sarah Godlewski
01:02: Birthday wishes and Wisconsin Democrats’ early-November birthdays
02:00: Has it sunk in yet? Getting used to “Lieutenant” ahead of the January 4th swearing-in
03:46: Election night: the early call and the Diet Cokes
06:03: Early calls in Wisconsin and national results
07:25: “We cannot be bought”: winning while outspent
08:00: What the results mean: a historic statewide ticket and a call for change
08:52: The millennial wave: a new generation takes the reins
11:47: The transition begins: building a team that represents the whole state
13:16: Working with the legislature in a Democratic trifecta
16:03: Do they have a mandate? The 8.2% margin and the legislative flips
18:48: Down-ballot standouts: Jeremiah Fredrickson and Becky Nichols
20:03: Defining the lieutenant governor role: the Crowley-Godlewski administration
21:48: Advice for the incoming Secretary of State and State Treasurer
22:36: Choosing a policy focus as Lt. Governor
23:35: Balancing bold ambitions with stalled, majority-supported priorities
26:11: Rapid fire: public school funding and the funding formula
26:44: Rapid fire: child care
27:30: Rapid fire: marijuana legalization and the hemp deadline
29:04: Rapid fire: Act 10 and rebuilding the middle class
29:54: Rapid fire: redistricting and fair maps
30:43: Rapid fire: Medicaid and BadgerCare expansion
31:22: Affordability and housing
32:19: Closing thoughts and thanks to Wisconsin voters
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:
See more of our coverage of the 2026 election in Wisconsin here:
8 Takeaways from the 2026 Election in Wisconsin
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.
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.
