Aug. 12, 2026
By Examiner Staff, Wisconsin Examiner
The battle to compete for U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany’s open seat in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District ended Tuesday night in victory by Michael Alfonso, son-in-law of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who previously held the 7th CD seat. Alfonso was endorsed by President Donald Trump.
The AP called the race at 9:16 p.m. with 59% of the vote counted.
Alfonso will compete in the Republican-leaning district to replace Tiffany, a strong Trump ally, who announced his retirement from Congress when he launched his campaign for governor.
Alfonso entered the race in Oct. 2025, saying that “Northern Wisconsin needs to continue to have a representative who will truly put our families, communities, and America first.” He gained Trump’s endorsement in January.
The other candidates in the race were Niina Baum a lifelong Northwoods resident and dog musher who founded Northwoods Young Professionals to attract and retain workers in northern Wisconsin; Jessi Ebben, a public relations professional who describes herself as a “Trump Republican,” and who previously ran to represent Wisconsin’s 3rd CD, Kevin Hermening, a financial advisor and former United States and Marine Don Raihala, an accountant.
Republicans from local county parties and his primary opponents criticized Alfonso’s lack of experience and his father-in-law’s help as he tried to win the race. He has also enjoyed support from other Republican members of the Wisconsin congressional delegation, Turning Point USA and has campaigned with Moms For Liberty, including criticizing a small rural school district in the district over its bathroom policies for transgender students.
In the last days of the primary campaign, a negative ad calling Alfonso a “nepo baby” was launched by American Future Fund Political Action, which reported spending $135,100 on broadcast advertising targeting Alfonso, according to State Affairs.
“I’m the only candidate on this stage that our great president, the greatest president of my lifetime, President Donald J. Trump, trusts to get his agenda into law,” Alfonso said during the only primary debate. “We hear a lot about politicians saying they’re pro-Trump only in the year of an election. What the Trump endorsement means is that I will support the president, I will fight for his agenda.”
Alfonso said he sat down with Trump for an interview and promised the president that no one would out work him in Congress.
Alfonso, 26, also directly addressed concerns about his lack of experience during the debate, including saying that he is currently employed as an accountant. Prior to running for Congress, Alfonso worked in construction while a student at UW-Madison. After graduating, he moved to Florida and worked on a podcast hosted by Dan Bongino for a year. He has since moved back to Hayward, Wisconsin.
Alfonso argued that young people can bring energy to politics and that experience is not the only measure of effectiveness.
Wisconsin Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Wisconsin Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Ruth Conniff for questions: info@wisconsinexaminer.com.
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