Alfonso defeats four others in Republican primary for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District - Ballotpedia News
Michael Alfonso defeated Jessi Ebben, Kevin Hermening, Donald Raihala, and Niina Threlfall-Baum in the Republican primary for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District on Aug. 11. Alfonso, Ebben, Hermening, and Threlfall-Baum led in media attention. Incumbent Tom Tiffany (R) ran for governor of Wisconsin.
Alfonso, Ebben, and Hermening campaigned as self-described America First Republicans, a term associated with President Donald Trump (R) and his political agenda. Threlfall-Baum said she ran as a moderate Republican.
Alfonso is the son-in-law of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, who represented the 7th District from 2011 to 2019. Trump endorsed Alfonso on Jan. 27, 2026.
In a May 2026 episode of The Insiders, Wisconsin's former Senate majority leader Chuck Chvala (D) and former Assembly speaker Scott Jensen (R) discussed how family connections, endorsements, and fundraising could have affected the primary. Speaking on connections and endorsements, Jensen said, "Duffy is doing ev…