Can Fred Clark Flip Wisconsin’s Deep-Red 7th Congressional District?

Democrat Fred Clark, left, and Republican Michael Alfonso, the two candidates for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District in 2026. Source: Clark and Alfonso campaigns

The candidates for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District both say this election represents a choice.

Continue MAGA policies under the young, Trump administration-linked Republican candidate, Michael Alfonso? Or chart a new path under Democrat Fred Clark, who wants cooperation and accountability in Washington?

The two candidates in the mostly rural, heavily Republican district are practically polar opposites.

Clark is a veteran state legislator and business owner. If the 67-year-old wins, he’d be its first Democratic representative in 15 years.

If Alfonso wins, the 26-year-old America First politician would be the youngest member of Congress.

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

“Here’s the big difference between me and Fred,” Alfonso said. “I believe the citizens of the 7th make better decisions with their money than the government does. Fred doesn’t think so.”

Clark told WPR he wants the government to actually work for them, as opposed to big corporations. He also believes in working with everyone, not just people he agrees with.

“What I’m offering to people is to send an adult in the room to have a Congress that actually does its job and follows the Constitution,” Clark said.

Democratic candidate Fred Clark talks with locals in Rhinelander, as he campaigns for the 7th Congressional District seat. Avery Martinez/WPR

The sprawling 7th District covers much of northern Wisconsin, stretching over 26 counties and approximately 18,000 square miles of central Wisconsin, the Northwoods and northwestern Wisconsin.

Once a Democratic stronghold, the 7th District seat was won in 2010 by Alfonso’s father-in-law, Sean Duffy, in a Republican wave election. Redistricting the following year made the district more Republican — and the Trump-era shift of rural voters to the GOP has turned it into a solidly Republican seat. Duffy, who resigned from Congress in 2020, currently serves as President Donald Trump’s transportation secretary.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, succeeded Duffy. This year, he declined to seek reelection as he runs for governor.

The average age of a member of Congress is 58, and Alfonso’s youth was a target in the GOP primary for the seat. But, Alfonso said he doesn’t see his age as a drawback.“I think it’s my greatest advantage,” he said, because it gives him a fresh perspective on politics. If he wins, he said it gives different generations a seat at the table.

Alfonso said he shares the values of “everyone” in the 7th: hard work, faith and family.

And he criticized his opponent’s political record.

“Fred has a whole lot of experience,” Alfonso said. “He’s never seen a tax hike that he doesn’t like.”

Clark, however, said he just wants a working government.

He said he didn’t think voters cared much about a candidate’s age compared to their experience.

“I think voters deserve to send somebody to Congress who understands life in northern Wisconsin,” Clark said. “And has enough experience to just be able to make effective decisions.”

Alfonso highlights need to attract workers to Northwoods

As drills, welding torches and steam bounced around the plant floor of Sulzer Manufacturing, Alfonso was joking with shop leaders about the difficulty of pouring cement.

The plant — in rural Marathon County — was just one of the trade- and manufacturing-focused stops the young candidate made in visits across the district.

 Accompanied by a single aide, Alfonso passed a red folding chair that said, in large type on the back, “MAGA.”

“We have a real problem here in northern Wisconsin,” Alfonso told WPR during the visit. “We don’t have enough young people to replace these absolutely vital roles.”

Michael Alfonso, a candidate for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, attends a visit from President Donald Trump at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wis. on June 5, 2026. Angela Major/WPR

That’s why his main message as he traveled the state was for young people considering college to think about other opportunities in trades.

He chatted with workers at multiple stations, consistently talking about one of his two jobs before running for Congress — construction, where he poured cement.

The stop highlights another distinction between the two candidates. While Clark has focused on public rallies and meet-and-greets speaking to anyone who shows up, Alfonso has tended to hold private tours.

The president of the manufacturing plant, Gary Sulzer, told WPR he’s running two shifts, but he’d like to run a third. That’s why he was encouraged by Alfonso’s visit to his plant and hoped it meant more industry support if he’s elected.

“I think it’s good that he has an interest in the little guys,” he said. “He is young, but he seems enthusiastic, and I think if he listens to the people, he will do the right thing.”

But questions about the political interests funding Alfonso’s campaign have surrounded his campaign, as have allegations of nepotism made by his Republican primary opponents.

Some of the Alfonso campaign’s top donors include out-of-state companies with projects requiring regulatory approval from the Department of Transportation. Duffy, Alfonso’s father-in-law, leads that department.

When WPR asked Alfonso about these donations, Alfonso said those groups want to support a candidate sharing their values.“I’m out here talking about the trades,” Alfonso said. “Boeing needs more people who can manufacture. I mean the shop we just went to is manufacturing pieces for Boeing.”

Critics have charged that Boeing helped Alfonso’s campaign by funding a reality TV-style road trip documentary made by Duffy.

During their debate, Clark asked Alfonso about those donations.

“People want to support my campaign because everywhere I go, I have good ideas,” Alfonso said. “I’m telling the people of the 7th that we need to get the federal government out of the way of business.”

Alfonso said voters in the district want to meet the person running to represent them.

“They want to shake your hand, look you in the eyes, and really get to know you,” he said.

In a GOP stronghold, ‘independent’ Democrat proposes center path with accountability

For Shelley Spooner, that felt impossible.

“I think he’s only been in Rhinelander one time, walking the Fourth of July parade,” she said of Alfonso.

Spooner attended Clark’s rally held at the Cabaret Cove, a tiny tavern tucked off Rhinelander’s main highway. She said she could not find any public events listed on Alfonso’s campaign website.

“I’m sure (Alfonso’s) got the desire, but he doesn’t come with the experience and knowledge, or the protocols of talking across the aisle,” Spooner told WPR.

Clark said he is an “independent Democrat.” He’s willing to “buck” the party, and is focused on working across the aisle. Clark pointed to his past work in the Assembly, breaking with Democrats on concealed carry gun rights. He’s talked openly about strong border security and reforms within ICE.

He said he has not taken money from the national Democratic party and has support from mostly state organizations and elected officials.

As people funneled into the banquet room, Clark greeted visitors with a firm handshake as they came into the rally.

“This has been a Republican-leaning district, no question about it,” he told WPR. “But a lot of people are re-evaluating their politics.”

He said that was due to the decisions of the Trump administration and Congress being unable to stand up to it.

Clark said he’d held at least one public event in each of the 26 counties in the district, talking to anyone who stopped by.

“I think voters right now are exhausted by the extremism in our politics,” Clark said. “And people want to see Congress actually work together and get something done.”

Through those talks, Clark believes the Trump Administration’s recent decisions give him the chance to flip the seat blue.

People in the Northwoods have been hurt directly by the Trump administration’s decisions, Clark said. Filling up a diesel truck can cost $100 after diesel prices spiked from disruptions caused by the war in Iran, and businesses are struggling with tariffs, he said.

Despite his critiques of the Trump administration, Clark told WPR he is “not running against the president.” Instead, he said he wants to bring accountability to the administration.

“There’s so many voters who are seeing the chaos coming out of Washington and the corruption, and have had enough of it,” he said.

Alfonso: MAGA for ‘hard work, faith and family’

Alfonso champions a range of socially conservative policies. He expressed support for dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, reinforcing gender norms and bathroom-use rules and accused his Democratic opponent of being a “radical.”

Alfonso has said several times he’s an America First politician — a slogan used by Trump in his 2016 campaign — who looks at every piece of legislation through that lens.

His campaign website prominently displays Trump’s endorsement alongside a who’s-who of the Trump administration. (His father-in-law’s endorsement is notably absent from the site.)

“Michael Alfonso is on a mission to restore hope for Americans, preserve the country we love and deliver the MAGA agenda,” his website states.

Outside of his run for Congress, Alfonso’s other job has been as a producer on the conspiracy-minded conservative podcast, “The Dan Bongino Show,” whose host eventually became the FBI’s deputy director before stepping down in January.

Alfonso’s campaign includes many common MAGA stances — restoring state powers, anti-abortion advocacy, Second Amendment concerns, restrictive immigration policies, defending religious freedom and affordable homeownership.

Clark: Standing up, accountability and cooperation

Clark has stressed his desire to work with everyone in his district, across political lines. He said he is willing to break with party members on issues.

“I’m somebody who’s lived and worked in rural Wisconsin most of my career, so that means I’m going to take positions that aren’t always in the mainstream for my party,” he said.

Fred Clark served in the Wisconsin Assembly from 2009 through 2015. Photo: State of Wisconsin

Over the years, Clark has been a small business owner, a forester and politician. He served from 2009 through 2015 in the state Assembly. He served from 2004 through 2008 on the Wisconsin Council on Forestry and served on the state’s Natural Resources Board.

“The Northwoods is an incredible region with a lot of assets,” Clark said. “But we can only realize the benefits that are there for us with a government that’s working for us.”

He’s created a plan that he calls the “New Northwoods,” focused government support for farmers, loggers, manufacturers and tourism business to create a strong economy and affordable homes.

“The rules of the game need to be updated right now, and only Congress is in a position to do that,” Clark said.

A MAGA loyalist and self-described independent Democrat vie for 7th Congressional seat was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.