From the 82nd Airborne to the Wisconsin Assembly: Ben Brist's Mission

Army veteran and West Point grad Ben Brist is running to flip Wisconsin's Assembly District 61 in Milwaukee County. Dr. Kristin Lyerly talks with Ben about the race, school funding and property taxes, and why this Greendale-area seat could decide control of the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Ben Brist is a sixth-generation Wisconsinite, Eagle Scout, West Point graduate, 82nd Airborne paratrooper and infantry officer, and a graduate of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. In this conversation he explains why he's running, how he talks to tired and frustrated voters at the door, and what he'd tackle first in Madison. Plus, because it's playoff season in Wisconsin, Dr. Lyerly and Ben talk Milwaukee Brewers baseball, the Packers, and what makes Wisconsin special.

In this episode:
- How Sue Richards connected Dr. Lyerly and Ben
- Why a first-time candidate and Army veteran is running for Wisconsin State Assembly
- Why Assembly District 61 (Greendale, Hales Corners, Greenfield, Franklin and part of Milwaukee) is a must-watch race in 2026
- How Wisconsin school funding and local property taxes are connected
- Ben's take on the challenge against Republican incumbent Bob Donovan
- Why voters in La Crosse, Green Bay and across Wisconsin should care about this race
- Jumping out of an airplane vs. running for office
- Milwaukee Brewers and Green Bay Packers talk
- How to volunteer, phone bank, canvass and donate

CHAPTERS
0:00 The moms have been talking: how Sue Richards connected us
1:24 From West Point and the 82nd Airborne to Greendale
2:47 Breaking through voter frustration at the door
5:14 What it's like to be an Army veteran watching the Pentagon today
7:51 Why Ben believes he can win AD-61
11:37 The first thing Ben wants to champion in Madison: public school funding
15:36 Explaining school funding and property taxes without the jargon
19:26 Why voters across Wisconsin should care about the 61st
22:17 Jumping out of an airplane vs. campaigning
23:37 Sixth-generation Wisconsinite
25:05 Milwaukee Brewers talk
27:42 Packers talk
29:05 How to get involved

GET INVOLVED WITH BEN BRIST
Website: bristforassembly.com
Facebook: facebook.com/benbrist61
Instagram: instagram.com/bristforassembly
Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/ben-brist.bsky.social

The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show brings you honest, unfiltered conversations at the intersection of medicine, politics, and the fight to build a healthcare system that actually works. New episodes on YouTube, Substack, and wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe so you never miss one.
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Dr. Kristin Lyerly is an OB-GYN based in northeast Wisconsin and a leading voice on healthcare, politics, and the issues shaping our collective future. As the named physician plaintiff in a landmark Wisconsin abortion decision, she brings a perspective to these conversations that goes beyond politics. New episodes drop every week. Subscribe to stay current on reproductive rights, health politics, all things Wisconsin, and everything else that matters.

Producer: Abraham Lyerly
Music: Nic Tierman
Graphics: Nathaniel Gonzalez