Michael Alfonso, a 26-year-old accountant who lives in Hayward, has won election to represent Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, making him the youngest member of the incoming Congress.
Alfonso, a Republican, defeated Democratic challenger Fred Clark, a former Wisconsin state lawmaker, in Tuesday’s election. He will take office in Washington this January, succeeding Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., who gave up the seat to run for Wisconsin governor.
The seat was previously held by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who is Alfonso’s father-in-law. Alfonso is married to Duffy’s daughter, Evita, and the couple lives in Hayward with their 5-month-old daughter.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Alfonso framed his campaign around cost-of-living concerns. “As the youngest member of Congress and a new dad, I have a personal stake in our future, and I’m going to Washington with one job: put Wisconsin and America first by making life affordable, restoring the American Dream, and putting the prosperity of American citizens above all else,” he said.
Alfonso works as an accountant for the Diocese of Superior. Before his career in accounting, he worked in construction and concrete while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and he spent time in Florida as a producer for “The Dan Bongino Show.”
He received endorsements from President Donald Trump and from Duffy during the campaign. Trump endorsed Alfonso in May, calling him a “MAGA warrior” and a “young ‘STAR.'” Duffy spoke in support of his son-in-law during an August appearance on NewsNation’s “Morning in America,” pointing to his work experience.
“I think it’d be great to have someone who knows how to put on a pair of jeans and a pair of boots and a hard hat and work his butt off 12 hours a day,” Duffy said.
Alfonso has said he plans to focus on policies to help first-time homebuyers, reduce healthcare costs and protect individual freedoms. He has also pledged to introduce legislation strengthening Title IX protections by restricting transgender women and girls from using facilities designated for women.
During his primary race, Alfonso faced questions from Republican opponents about nepotism tied to his family connections and his campaign donors. On Election Day, he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that experience in Washington hasn’t solved the country’s problems.
“What has experience gotten us at the congressional level? Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, I mean, Joe Biden was a senator for a long time … we tried that already,” Alfonso said. “It’s not working.”
