Wisconsin Republicans are accusing Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy of abusing his Cabinet post to muscle his son-in-law into Congress.
Michael Alfonso, 26, a political newcomer married to Duffy’s daughter Evita, is among five Republicans competing in the state’s primary, scheduled for later in August. He’s gunning for an open House seat in Wisconsin’s 7th District, set to be vacated by Rep. Tom Tiffany as he preps a run for governor.
That’s also Secretary Duffy’s former seat, which he held from 2011 to 2019. One of the loudest objectors to Duffy’s involvement in Alfonso’s candidacy is Meg Ellefson, a conservative podcaster who once cheered the former reality star’s rise. She is now “utterly disgusted by this blatant manipulation of voters,” she told Axios on Wednesday, and is backing a rival candidate.
Duffy has shaped the contest at nearly every turn, Axios reported. In October, he steered $1 million left over from his old congressional account into a super PAC boosting Alfonso. His biggest coup came in January, when he convinced Trump to back the newcomer, who previously worked as a producer on former Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino’s podcast. The president has hailed Alfonso as a “MAGA warrior” and a “young STAR.”
Money has followed. Alfonso has hauled in more than $50,000 from PACs tied to the transportation industry that the secretary oversees. Delta Air Lines, whose business falls firmly within Duffy’s portfolio, threw his son-in-law a fundraiser in December.
He also surfaces in the Duffy family reality show The Great American Road Trip. A trailer for the YouTube show features Duffy, his Fox News host wife Rachel Campos-Duffy, and several of their nine children being ushered into Trump’s Oval Office.
As a Cabinet member, Duffy falls under the Hatch Act, which bars officials from using their government positions to influence elections but permits activity as a private citizen.
Transportation Department spokesman Nathaniel Sizemore rejected criticism from Wisconsin Republicans on that basis, telling Axios that Duffy supports his son-in-law only in “a personal capacity.”
Alfonso’s campaign has similarly waved off the backlash, saying he has “earned support from conservative leaders” and grassroots backers nationwide.
The Daily Beast has contacted the Department of Transportation and Alfonso’s campaign for comment.
