WATCH: Dan Shafer joins David Nir & Aaron Rupar on Substack Live

The Recombobulation Area is a thirteen-time NINETEEN-TIME Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media.

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Every week, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of

Public Notice

talk politics in a live show on Substack, and this week, the spotlight turned to Wisconsin, so I was invited to join and discuss the latest in our discombobulating politics.

Among those topics we discussed was Tony Evers’ looming decision over whether or not he is going to run for a third term as governor (and my opinion column on the matter), who might be running for Republicans, the post-Gerrymander elections happening in the Wisconsin State Legislature (and the chance for a trifecta in 2026), and what’s ahead for elections in the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Be sure to subscribe to The Downballot and Public notice for all of their fine work.

Check out a clip from the conversation — on Evers and passing the torch, and reflecting on what happened with Joe Biden in 2024 — below:

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Thank you

Howie Noel

,

Ray Grosch

, and many others for tuning into my live video with

Aaron Rupar

and

David Nir

! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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ICYMI…

FULL COLUMN UNLOCKED🔓: Pass the Torch: Tony Evers should not run for a third term as governor

Wisconsin passed a budget with Democratic votes. But is it enough?

Evers' third term question, Trump's economic policies, what Wisconsin voters agree on, and more: 5 Takeaways from the June 2025 Marquette Poll

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Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. In 2024, he became the Political Editor of Civic Media. He’s also 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 23 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.

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Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer and at BlueSky at @danshafer.bsky.social.