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.
What a night. If you missed our live election night coverage from downtown Milwaukee, revisit the full show here.
David Crowley is going to be our next governor. A Democratic trifecta is happening. This was an exhilarating, triumphant Election Night, and you can relive all of it here.
Featuring these absolute legends: Kate Duffy, Dr. Kristin Lyerly and Patrick Kreitlow. With Dr. Chris Ford, special guests from UpNorthNews, WisDems Chair Devin Remiker, and more.
Live show produced and directed by Chris Haase.
For a beat-by-beat breakdown of the moments from the Election Night Live-stream, see here:
(00:01:22) Welcome and Introductions: Pat Kreitlow, Kate Duffy, Dan Shafer, and Dr. Kristen Lyerly kick off the Wisconsin Politics group chat coverage.
(00:03:16) What to Watch: Waukesha County (Crowley needs 40%+) and La Crosse are named as early bellwethers, along with the 3rd District race.
(00:04:48) Trifecta Watch: Democrats need two Senate seats and five Assembly seats for their first trifecta in 16 years.
(00:09:16) The Road to 2026: A look back at the Supreme Court flips, fair maps, and Evers’ wins that led to this moment.
(00:10:40) A Historic Ticket: Crowley would be the first Black governor, and Zamarripa and Xiong would also make history in statewide offices.
(00:18:11) Surprise Guest Devin Remiker: The state Democratic Party chair explains the “boiler room” and names Assembly District 30 as a key race.
(00:34:07) Early Bellwether Signs: Sauk County shows Crowley ahead 52-48 with 61% reporting.
(00:43:25) Waukesha Update: Tiffany falls below 60% in Waukesha County, a good sign for Crowley statewide.
(00:49:58) Texas Called: VoteHub projects Talarico winning the Texas Senate race.
(00:58:13) Annie Andrews Wins South Carolina: The Senate race is called, followed by Rob Sand in Iowa and Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia.
(01:07:46) First Assembly Flip: Becky Nichols wins in Assembly District 53.
(01:22:39) Senate Flips: Democrats claim victory in Senate Districts 5 and 21, flipping the state Senate.
(01:23:44) Crowley Wins Governor: Decision Desk HQ projects David Crowley the winner of the Wisconsin governor’s race.
(01:48:42) Rebecca Cooke Wins 3rd District: Reports emerge that Cooke has defeated Derek Van Orden.
(02:19:04) Victory Speech Reports: Kate and Kristen return from the Crowley party with reports on his speech.
(02:28:38) Trifecta Clinched: Democrats are projected to win the Assembly, completing the trifecta.
(02:36:57) US Senate Flipped: Democrats reach 51 seats, with flips in Kansas, Iowa, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio, and more.
(02:48:20) Assembly Sweep: Democrats win all eight competitive Assembly races, projecting a 53-seat majority.
(03:25:12) Pat’s Sign-Off: Pat Kreitlow makes a special announcement, thanks the team, and closes the broadcast.
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:
Thank you Garrett Bucks, Steven Anderson, Klarity, TJM1, Jim Nowlen, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.
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.
