Republican Michael Alfonso wins Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District

Republican Michael Alfonso, 26,  the son-in-law of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, won by a margin of 56.1% to 43.9% over Democrat Fred Clark, a conservationist and former state lawmaker, in the election for an open seat in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District. 

AP called the race at 10:03 p.m. with 86% of the vote counted.

The district, which covers much of the northern part of Wisconsin, is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the 2026 Republican candidate for governor.

Alfonso, whose father-in-law previously represented the 7th CD, received President Donald Trump’s endorsement during the primary. 

During the campaign, Alfonso faced criticism over his lack of work experience. After he went to college, he worked for as a producer on Dan Bongino’s podcast in Florida for about a year. He said during the Republican primary that he has worked as an accountant for a church since moving back to Wisconsin.

The district has been represented by a Republican for the last 16 years. Prior to Tiffany and Duffy, the seat was held from 1969 to 2011 by Democrat Dave Obey, the longest serving U.S. House member in Wisconsin history.

Alfonso ran as a strong supporter of the construction of a new segment of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline, which he said would create jobs in the district. He also advocated for cutting taxes and regulations, especially on homebuilding. 

Throughout the campaign, he tied himself closely to President Trump and embraced Trump’s efforts to eliminate the Department of Education. During a candidate debate, he criticized “these ridiculous public universities that do nothing but indoctrinate our students” and called for taking away funding from them and putting it towards trade schools.