Sean Duffy’s son-in-law brings chaos to a WI GOP endorsement vote

7th Congressional District convention devolved into a sh**show, according to a conservative news site.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s appearance at last weekend’s 7th Congressional District Republican convention was not enough to move delegates to endorse Michael Alfonso, his son-in-law, for the seat Duffy once held in the US House of Representatives. But Alfonso was also able to deny an endorsement for any of the other Republican candidates, creating a scene one witness described as a “sh*tshow.”

Alfonso, 26, has faced scrutiny since he entered the race about his work experience, his residency status in the northern Wisconsin district, and his funding sources — including numerous lobbyists and executives with businesses that could face regulation from Duffy or have in the past.

“I think it’s disgusting,” said Sawyer County Republican Party Chair John Righeimer, according to reporting from the conservative site Wisconsin Right Now. “What do these people want in return? Everyone knows this is what happens in politics, but now it’s happening in our backyard. It’s swampy. It’s road builders, airlines, anybody connected to transportation.”

Wisconsin Right Now co-founder Jessica McBride wrote extensively about Saturday’s convention in Neillsville, where delegates believed they would be casting votes in multiple rounds, ultimately leading to an endorsement. Instead, according to McBride’s reporting, Alfonso’s campaign pushed at the last minute for a vote to not endorse anyone, a measure that passed by a narrow margin.

The vote not to endorse anyone likely angered the other candidates, who would have relished an advantage over Alfonso with his big-dollar backers, the Duffy campaign machine, and an endorsement from President Donald Trump. (That endorsement led Alfonso to call Trump “truly the greatest president of all time.”)

Righeimer told McBride he supports Paul Wassgren, a corporate lawyer and chair of the Ashland County Republican Party. Others support Kevin Hermening, Jessi Ebben, or Niina Baum.

As a US Marine 46 years ago, Hermening was the youngest of the 52 American hostages held by Iran for 444 days. Hermening went on to a career in finance and has served as chair of the Marathon County Republican Party. Ebben works in government affairs and strategy for Ashley Furniture and previously ran for Congress in the 3rd District. Baum has worked in digital marketing and owns Sled Dog Central, which she describes as “an online platform for the mushing community.”

Hermening and Wassgren are pledging to put significant personal money into their races — at least $2.5 million so far from Wassgren and more than $1 million from Hermening. Ebben has received financial support from former US Senate candidate Eric Hovde and billionaires Elizabeth Uihlein and Diane Hendricks. 

Alfonso’s funding connected to Duffy

But it’s Alfonso’s donors who are causing some Republicans to be upset with the lobbyist connections, while others see it as proof of a well-funded candidate. 

A political action committee (PAC) supporting Alfonso has received $1 million from Duffy’s campaign account as well as support from billionaire Richard Uihlein. (Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein are the married co-owners of packaging company ULINE.)

According to McBride, Alfonso’s campaign finance reports show that he raised more than $50,000 from registered lobbyists and more than $60,000 from individuals who hold senior roles in financial services, a committee Duffy served on during his time in Congress before resigning and later becoming a lobbyist for the financial services industry. 

Nearly half of the donations coming to the pro-Alfonso PAC came from transportation industry PACs, including Delta Airlines, road builders, General Motors, and Lockheed Martin, which gets millions of dollars in Transportation Department contracts, McBride reports. 

Duffy has been prominently listed as a guest on Alfonso’s fundraiser invites, including at least one featuring lobbyists. He traveled to Neillsville and spoke at last weekend’s convention, but reportedly did not mention his daughter’s husband and limited his remarks to praising Trump.

And Alfonso’s family and financial ties seem to invite more skepticism about his resume. 

“Early on,” Righeimer told McBride, “when this discussion about Michael running came about, I said, ‘This is ridiculous, a 25-year-old is not prepared for this; why doesn’t he run for a local board or even Assembly, and even then that might be too early.” 

Righeimer and McBride believe Alfonso has been vague about questions such as, “What do you do for a living? What has your experience been in the job world? Where are you living, and how are you paying for the house?” 

“These are not really gotcha questions,” Righeimer said.

Alfonso and his wife Evita Duffy-Alfonso claim a voting address at a Hayward home owned by Duffy and his wife Rachel Campos-Duffy, who currently reside in New Jersey. Alfonso was born in Vilas County, grew up in the Wausau area, and attended UW-Madison, but he most recently registered to vote in Florida where he was doing work for podcast host Dan Bongino.