Can Trump And A Political Dynasty Still Pick A Northwoods Congressman?

7th Congressional District candidates (left to right) Niina Baum, Jessi Ebben and Kevin Hermening met in Mercer April 22 for an Iron County Republican Party debate. Michael Alfonso, the 26-year-old son-in-law of U.S. Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, didn’t attend because he was at a fundraiser with members of Wisconsin’s GOP congressional delegation. Rich Kremer/WPR

On an especially warm day in late April, a few dozen Republicans filed into the Mercer Community Center for an event that was billed as a chance to hear from the next person who could represent them in Congress.

People traded small talk in the repurposed school gymnasium, located about a 40-minute drive from the shores of Lake Superior and about 1,000 miles from Washington, D.C. A emblem on the building’s floor depicted a Common Loon, the official bird of this Northwoods lake town. Rows of banquet chairs pointed in the direction of a stage flanked by painted log walls, with an American flag draped on one side.

As the event got underway, three candidates took the stage: Republicans Niina Baum of Rhinelander, Jessi Ebben of Stanley and Kevin Hermening of Mosinee.

Next to them was an empty chair. A sign with the name Michael Alfonso was taped to the backrest.

Around 30 Republicans gathered in Mercer for an April for a 7th Congressional District candidate debate. Michael Alfonso, who is the son-in-law of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, skipped the event for a congressional fundraiser. Rich Kremer/WPR

In January, President Donald Trump endorsed Alfonso, a 26-year-old who has never held office. Alfonso is the son-in-law of Sean Duffy, the U.S. transportation secretary who once represented the 7th Congressional District.

An endorsement from Trump can be akin to a golden ticket in a Republican primary, but at least so far, his blessing in the race for this reliably red House seat has not had that kind of luster.

It didn’t take long for the Republicans on stage to criticize Alfonso for skipping that night’s debate and a candidate forum the week before in Phillips. Hermening and Ebben even critiqued Trump’s decision to endorse Alfonso, while assuring the audience they’re still solidly behind the president on nearly every other matter.

Hermening’s attacks were most cutting. He posed for a mid-debate photo op with his arm around Alfonso’s empty chair. Hermening referenced a Politico story about high-ranking transportation lobbyists and executives, with potential business before the U.S. DOT, donating to Alfonso’s campaign.

Republican 7th Congressional District candidate Kevin Hermening poses for a photo next to fellow candidate Michael Alfonso’s empty chair during an April 22 Iron County Republican Party debate in Mercer. Rich Kremer/WPR

“Of course, he’s not here tonight. He’s in Washington, D.C., raising more money at a big political fundraiser being sponsored by organizations that are lobbying with the U.S. Department of Transportation right now,” said Hermening. “It’s not the way we’re supposed to run our campaigns. We’re not supposed to, on the front end before we’re even there, be proven to be part of the swamp.”

Ebben described Trump as the “greatest leader we’ve had at the helm of our country” during her lifetime, but insinuated Alfonso’s endorsement was a favor to Duffy.

“I don’t think that the district — I’ve heard it directly — appreciates nepotism, appreciates a rolled out carpet or appreciates a candidate funded by the swamp, specifically for transportation dollars,” Ebben said.

Alfonso’s campaign did not respond to requests for an interview for this story. He’s shared numerous social media posts showing him at various Republican Party meetings around the district.

Shortly after the Mercer debate, Alfonso posted pictures of himself at the fundraiser with Republican members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor.

“It’s time to end the infighting, organize, raise resources, and WIN,” Alfonso said. “If we fail to unite, the radical left will Minnesota our Wisconsin.”

This evening, I was proud to stand with our outstanding Wisconsin Congressional delegation in support of GOP state senators, assemblymen, and future governor, Tom Tiffany. November is right around the corner. It’s time to end the infighting, organize, raise resources, and WIN. If… pic.twitter.com/m7R1iYrE0T

— Michael Alfonso (@MikeAlfonsoWI) April 23, 2026

Northern Wisconsin voters ‘don’t like being told what to do’

There’s no mistaking the 7th District on Wisconsin’s U.S. House map. It is massive, covering more than 18,000 square miles of northern Wisconsin, including some of the most rural parts of the state.

Joe Handrick, a longtime Wisconsin Republican elections expert and former state representative from Minocqua, told WPR the district also has some of the most “fiercely independent” voters.

Handrick, who was paid by Hermening’s campaign to do “demographic profile work,” said that independent streak is part of why he doesn’t think Trump’s endorsement of Alfonso will carry its typical weight.

“This is the kind of region, and I’m from up there, where people aren’t going to vote for someone they don’t know because someone else, a national figure, tells them to,” said Handrick. “The Trump endorsement, to be sure, is a big deal. And it has swayed a number of primaries. But in this district, I don’t think it’s nearly as big of a deal as it might be elsewhere.”

Joe Handrick in Johnson Creek, Wis. Angela Major/WPR

Another reason, said Handrick, is the unique nature of the media landscape of the sprawling 7th District, which forces candidates to buy TV ads on stations in the Twin Cities and Duluth, Minnesota to reach voters in Hudson, Superior and Ashland. He said because of that, connecting with voters requires “boots on the ground,” attending events like the Mercer debate that may only have a handful of voters present. Candidates also compete, Handrick said, by leveraging endorsements from town chairs, local business owners, sheriffs and mayors.

Republican strategist Bill McCoshen, a native of the 7th District who grew up in Superior and worked on statewide campaigns for former Gov. Tommy Thompson, agreed that residents up north have always been “very independent.” McCoshen noted voters there are older, on average, than those in the state’s other congressional districts.

“I would say, in many respects, they represent the forgotten men and women, the people that Trump really connected with in 2016,” said McCoshen. “He kept them in 2020 and certainly reconnected with them in 2024.”

McCoshen said Trump’s backing still carries immense weight in Wisconsin, pointing to the president’s endorsement of Tiffany in the race for governor. That endorsement led to GOP primary opponent Josh Schoemann dropping out of the race the “very next day.”

Still, McCoshen said Trump’s nod for Alfonso in the 7th District “may be the one case where it’s not decisive.”

A political newcomer

Alfonso has never held elected office in Wisconsin, a point he’s looked to promote during his campaign even as it has fueled many of the attacks against him.

When he announced his run in October, Alfonso released a video that interspersed footage of himself with prominent Democrats like former President Joe Biden and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“Some say Congress needs older people with more experience,” Alfonso said. “But let’s be honest. They’re the ones who created this mess.”

Alfonso’s campaign website references his time working in construction during college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and as a podcast producer for “The Dan Bongino Show.” Bongino halted the show to serve as deputy director of the FBI from March 2025 until January.

During an April appearance with his wife on the “After Party” podcast, Alfonso told host Emily Jashinsky he got into the race because of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA, an organization for young conservatives.

A YouTube edit of the interview was posted with the title: “The Political Class Betrayed Gen Z – Here’s What Gen Z is Doing About It.”

Alfonso’s wife, Evita Duffy Alfonso, was managing producer and host with “The Dan Bongino Show” and has written for The Federalist and Fox News. The daughter of Sean Duffy, she’s described her “dad’s old district” as “pretty old,” with an average Republican primary voting age of 65. At 26, she said Michael would be the youngest person in Congress if he’s elected, which she said gives people hope.

“When they see somebody like Michael campaigning and espousing the kind of values that he has, it makes them feel OK about the future,” said Duffy Alfonso.

In more ways than one, the young couple is following in the footsteps of her parents, who have been in front of the camera for decades. Before he became a district attorney and member of Congress, Sean Duffy was already known for being a contestant on the reality TV show “The Real World. “

On May 8, Alfonso joined the Duffys in a trailer for a five-part reality series from the U.S. Department of Transportation titled “Who Are We? The Great American Road Trip.” Critics panned the timing, with gas prices above $4 per gallon and the fact that funding for the series comes from several transportation, media and tourism industry groups.

It’s the latest example of Sean Duffy’s involvement in Alfonso’s race. Duffy also used $1 million in unspent money from his old congressional account to fund a Super PAC backing his son-in-law.

Sawyer County Republican Party chair John Righeimer told the conservative news site Wisconsin Right Now in March that Alfonso is a “sharp kid” but isn’t prepared for Congress, and should consider running for local or state office instead. He called the Duffy money flowing into the race “swampy.”

“If Michael could win on his own, that would be different,” Righeimer said. “It seems like a machine behind him is force-feeding us someone who is not ready.”

Trump is at the center of Alfonso’s message

Whether it carries the usual weight or not, Trump’s endorsement has been front-and-center in Alfonso’s campaign, and the president’s brand of politics has been evident in Alfonso’s message.

In a February interview on the “Next Up with Mark Halperin” podcast, Alfonso said he first met the president four years ago when he and his wife were married at one of Trump’s golf courses.

When it comes to issues, Alfonso has posted several videos about protests against a school bathroom policy in New Richmond. The U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation the next month.

He’s called the idea of birthright citizenship “deranged and dangerous” as the U.S. Supreme Court decides a lawsuit challenging Trump’s executive order limiting it.

On Jan. 27, days after federal immigration agents shot and killed Alex Pretti at a protest in Minneapolis, Alfonso blamed Democrats for the chaos, equating their tactics to communist revolutionaries. He called Trump’s plans for mass deportations “the will of the people” and said Trump had a “mandate to restore cultural hegemony.”

In the “After Party” podcast, Alfonso referenced Somali-born refugees living in Barron, suggesting he may investigate the population for potential Medicaid fraud.

In the same podcast, he disputed claims by the dairy industry that Trump’s immigration policies would eviscerate the nation’s agricultural workforce. He said it’s not that young people don’t want to work, it’s that “we’re not willing to work for a wage that is beneath us.”

Alfonso’s GOP opponents see an opening. So do Democrats.

Even in a midterm cycle that could favor Democrats in a big way, the 7th Congressional District is expected to stay in Republican hands.

Tiffany won the seat by 20 or more points in each of his general election campaigns. Duffy won by a similar amount in his last House race.

In terms of resources, Alfonso has led the pack thanks to the newly-formed Northwoods Future PAC, which has spent more than $1.5 million on advertisements supporting his campaign. In addition to the contribution from Duffy’s campaign committee, it’s received another $1 million from GOP megadonor Richard Uihlein.

But Uihlein’s wife, Elizabeth Uihlein, has donated $1 million to a competing PAC supporting Ebben, a 36-year-old from Stanley who’s an executive with Ashley Furniture.

Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, seen here in a 2017 promotional video, own the Pleasant Prairie-based Uline company. They’re also among the nation’s largest donors to conservative candidates. Screenshot via YouTube

Another top GOP donor, billionaire builder Diane Hendricks, gave $3,500 to Ebben’s campaign. Ebben ran unsuccessfully for the neighboring 3rd Congressional District in 2020.

Hermening, who is 66, has campaigned on his experience as a financial-planner, local school board leader and the 444 days he spent as an American hostage after Iranian soldiers took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. He has loaned his campaign at least $1 million, which would help him get the message out should he choose to spend it.

Baum, a 30-year world champion dog musher, has run more of a shoestring campaign, and has touted her experience with her local planning commission.

The 7th Congressional District has turned out for Republicans for the past 15 years, but it wasn’t always that way. Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Dave Obey held the seat for 42 years before retiring ahead of a red wave election in 2010. That’s when Duffy first won the seat.

While Democrats see an opening in 2026, McCoshen said it’s essentially “impossible” for a Democrat to win the 7th District “even in a great Democratic year.”

Handrick said that’s not a sure thing.

“I do not categorize it as a safe district,” said Handrick. “I call it a strong Republican district. But it’s not safe in a blue wave year.”

Former Wisconsin state Rep. Fred Clark of Bayfield is one of three Democrats trying to flip the 7th District in a year when Trump’s approval ratings are cratering and Democrats have been overperforming in elections across the country.

“I think part of what’s different now is that we have an open seat and unknown set of candidates,” Clark said.

He, along with fellow Democrats Ginger Murray of New Lisbon and Chris Armstrong of New Richmond, have been crisscrossing the district. Clark said they’ve had three Democratic candidate forums already, and he’s met Alfonso, who he described as a “sincere, likable young man.”

Clark and Alfonso had a sharp exchange of attacks on Facebook that started with Alfonso accusing Clark of hating the Second Amendment‘s right to bear arms. The next day, Clark shared a Facebook video showing off several rifles and a pistol he keeps in a safe at his home. In between, the two agreed in principle to a general election debate. Clark said their campaigns are in conversations about the details.

Iron County GOP Chair: ‘What they’re doing is wrong’

After the three-candidate GOP debate in Mercer, the Iron County Republican Party volunteers were focused on more immediate tasks, like who to send home with leftovers from the meat, cheese and vegetable platters after the event.

Republican Tom Beschta of Mercer said Hermening came off as the “clear winner” of the debate in his book, though he appreciated all three candidates for making time to appear in his small town. Beschta, who is a staunch Trump supporter, was asked whether the president’s endorsement draws him to Alfonso.

“No, no, no, no, no.” said Beschta. “I don’t know if he endorsed him, you know, because of his father-in-law, or what his reason was. Because he definitely doesn’t have the experience, you know, and we need somebody with experience in Washington.”

Republican Tom Beschta of Mercer listens to three of the four GOP candidates running for the 7th Congressional District seat during an April 22 debate. Beschta said Alfonso should have showed up and President Donald Trump’s endorsement of the 26-year-old son-in-law of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy doesn’t sway him. Rich Kremer/WPR

Peter Liakopoulos, a Republican from Ashland who drove in for the debate, defended Alfonso’s absence and said he’s glad to see smart, young candidates step up.

“This little thing that, ‘Oh well, he stood us up! We weren’t important enough!’ That’s not the case,” said Liakopoulos, “He is at a fundraiser with Sen. Ron Johnson. So, let’s be fair all the way around. He’s not just playing lone wolf out there. He is actually doing something. I mean, this fundraiser is a big deal.”

Republican Peter Liakopoulous of Ashland defended Michael Alfonso’s absence from the 7th Congressional District GOP debate put on by the Iron County Republican Party. He said Alfonso was at a big fundraiser with members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation. Rich Kremer/WPR

In an interview with WPR, Iron County GOP Chair Tanner Hiller said staff with Alfonso’s campaign told him at one point “the presidential endorsed candidate doesn’t need to do debates.”

Days before the Iron County Republican Party debate, Alfonso posted a written statement on social media calling for a televised debate closer to the primary election. Hiller wasn’t impressed and noted TV and radio reporters were at his event. Weeks after the debate, Hiller endorsed Hermening.

Iron County Republican Party Chaire Tanner Hiller (left) looks on during the 7th Congressional District GOP candidate debate. Hiller said staff with Michael Alfonso’s campaign told him he didn’t need to do GOP debates after getting President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Rich Kremer/WPR

Hiller, a 31-year-old veteran, said he cut his teeth in politics during “the Sean Duffy era.” He said he became close with the family while walking in parades with Duffy’s children and knocking doors on his behalf. Now, he sees Duffy using his political clout to springboard his son-in-law to Congress.

“I think what they’re doing is wrong morally,” said Hiller. “There’s a lot of people that have better credentials, that know this district, that will represent this district better than Michael Alfonso. And you know, I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and get his opinion on matters, and he didn’t show up.”

Northern Wisconsin House primary tests power of Trump endorsement was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.