Michael Alfonso Wins Northern Wisconsin District, Will Be Youngest House Rep
Republican is son-in-law to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who once held same seat.
Seventh district congressional candidate Michael Alfonso answers questions from reporters Saturday, May 16, 2026, during the Republican Party of Wisconsin State Convention at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Baraboo, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Michael Alfonso, a political newcomer and son-in-law of a Trump Administration secretary, has won Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District seat. He will be the youngest member of Congress in the nation.
Alfonso, a 26-year-old Wisconsin native, campaigned on America First policies and as a strong advocate of President Donald Trump and his administration.
The Associated Press called the race for Alfonso at 10:02 p.m. Tuesday. Unofficial vote totals showed that with 79 percent of the vote in, he had received 56.1 percent of the vote while Democrat Fred Clark had 43.9 percent.
Wisconsin’s 7th District is mostly rural, and heavily favors Republican candidates. It covers an immense area, roughly 18,000 square miles across 26 counties — much of northern Wisconsin.
While some had questioned his age and experience, Alfonso told WPR his age was unimportant to voters because they cared about his values — “faith, family and freedom.”
In his campaign, Alfonso was supportive of dismantling the Department of Education; taking action on gender-specific restrooms in schools; concerned about communism; and getting kids out of college and into trades.
Allegations of nepotism, donor questions and lack of experience
Both during a bruising Republican primary and in the general election, Alfonso faced allegations of nepotism, inexperience and potential corruption around his involvement with a reality-style show Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy produced with the help of large donations from companies he regulates.
“It’s never easy to run for office,” Alfonso said during the primaries. “This is my first time, and believe me, the arrows are flying all the time.”
Alfonso was endorsed by President Donald Trump, who called him a “MAGA Warrior,” and the candidate leaned heavily on his ties to Trump throughout his campaign in the heavily Republican district.
Duffy previously held the 7th district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 until he resigned in mid-2020. Before that, the district had been held by Democrat Dave Obey for more than four decades.
When Duffy resigned from his post in 2020, the seat was filled by Republican Tom Tiffany, who declined to seek reelection as he ran for Wisconsin governor.
Alfonso’s family connections to Duffy sparked allegations of nepotism in the primary race by other Republicans. In the end he won the GOP nomination by a wide margin.
Closer to election day, Alfonso faced criticism for his comments at a rally over a possible Medicare program he supports, which he described as a “Medicare voucher” program similar to Wisconsin’s private school vouchers.
Alfonso described the current healthcare system as a nightmare and said the program would provide people flexibility in their healthcare choices. The audio recording of the conversation was released, and received pushback because voucher healthcare programs have been criticized by experts for potentially limiting Medicare coverage or increasing costs.
But, those criticisms did not matter to the majority of voters in Wisconsin’s largest congressional district.
‘Independent’ Fred Clark unable to return district to Democrats
A veteran state legislator, Clark promoted himself during the campaign as an “independent Democrat” who could work across the aisle and break with the national party.
He focused on standing up to Trump administration policies, economics in the Northwoods and handling the war in Iran.
Clark told WPR in September he thought those stances would reach voters across party lines, as people in the Northwoods were frustrated and financially hurt by Trump policies.
“This has been a Republican-leaning district, no question about it,” he told WPR. “But a lot of people are re-evaluating their politics.”
But, not enough voters to get him into Congress.
Editor’s note: This story will be updated.
Republican Michael Alfonso wins northern Wisconsin district, will be youngest House rep was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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