Army Veteran Brist Wins Primary, Will Challenge Rep. Bob Donovan

Ben Brist. Photo courtesy of Brist’s campaign.

Ben Brist advanced out of a three-way Democratic primary election in Assembly District 61 Tuesday.

He will face Republican state Rep. Bob Donovan in the November general election.

Brist is an Army veteran who served seven years on active duty as an officer in the paratroopers. He recently earned a master’s degree from Harvard Kennedy School. During his time in graduate school, Brist interned for U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

With all in-person votes counted, Brist was winning the district with 44% of the vote. He defeated Lawanda Chambers, a counselor and yoga instructor, and Brian Bock, a pharmacist, in the primary Tuesday night.

Donovan, a former southside alderman for the City of Milwaukee, has proven difficult to beat for Democrats. He was first elected to the seat in 2022 and has consistently overperformed Republicans in the district, even overcoming a well-financed challenge by Democrat LuAnn Bird in 2024, according to an analysis of the district by Marquette researcher John D. Johnson.

Brist received endorsements from current county Sup. Sheldon Wasserman and former supervisor and county clerk Joseph Czarnezki. He was also endorsed by the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) and AFT Local 212.

District 61 is located in the southwestern corner of Milwaukee County, including the village of Hales Corners, the village of Greendale and portions of the cities of Milwaukee and Greenfield.