Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has spent the past eight months mounting what critics describe as an unprecedented campaign to install his son-in-law, 26-year-old first-time candidate Michael Alfonso, in a vacant congressional seat — and the backlash from within his own party is growing.
Duffy transferred $1 million in leftover funds from his own congressional campaign account directly to Alfonso's super PAC, attended multiple fundraisers on his behalf, sent members of his former political team to work on the campaign and personally lobbied President Donald Trump to endorse without giving senior White House officials advance notice – much to the annoyance of other Republicans, reported Axios.
"[He] is exploiting his Cabinet position and fame to influence an election and hand one of the nation's highest offices to his unqualified, 26-year-old son-in-law," said Meg Ellefson, a Wisconsin-based podcaster and talk radio host.
Ellefson said she had been a big fan of Duffy early in his political career, but she told Axios she is "utterly disgusted by this blatant manipulation of voters" and is backing one of Alfonso's primary rivals.
Trump threw his support behind Alonso in January, calling him a "MAGA warrior" and "a young STAR," and transportation industry donors have taken notice.
Alfonso has raised more than $50,000 from transportation-associated PACs, and Delta Airlines hosted a fundraiser for him in December — contributions his rivals argue are less about Alfonso than about currying favor with the cabinet secretary who oversees their industry.
GOP activists in Wisconsin say Duffy's involvement has effectively frozen the race, with donors and local leaders reluctant to back rival candidates for fear of crossing a sitting Cabinet secretary. When Duffy appeared at a 7th Congressional District caucus meeting in March, local officials who had been expected to endorse one of Alfonso's opponents instead declined to endorse anyone.
Critics also note that Alfonso has skipped debates and point to his flimsy qualifications — he was previously a producer for conservative podcaster Dan Bongino — as evidence that his candidacy rests on his father-in-law's influence rather than his own qualifications.
"Alfonso's resume is too thin to qualify him for Congress, and yet there is disrespect being shown to the grassroots, which taken together amounts to a sense of entitlement," said Jessica McBride, a contributor to the conservative Wisconsin Right Now news site.
Duffy's office maintains he supports Alfonso strictly in a personal capacity and that all campaign appearances are reviewed by DOT ethics officials. Alfonso's campaign says he has earned his support on the merits, but Wisconsin Republicans, increasingly, disagree.