Republican Michael Alfonso managed to win his House primary after his father-in-law, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, helped drag him across the finish line in the final stretch of the race.
Alfonso won the GOP race for Wisconsin’s 7th District seat in a race against veteran Kevin Hermening, Jessie Ebben, and Niina Baum in the northern part of the state.
With 56 percent of the votes counted, Alfonso took first place with 49.1 percent of the vote, followed by Hermening at 26.9 percent and Ebben at 15.9 percent, according to the Associated Press.
The MAGA candidate prominently featured his more famous father-in-law in the final days of the race as he tried to follow in his footsteps to represent Wisconsin in the House despite battling accusations of nepotism on the trail and that he only got Trump’s endorsement thanks to his family connection.
The 26-year-old is married to the transportation secretary’s eldest daughter Evita Duffy.
Despite Trump’s endorsement in the race, other Republicans refused to bow out and pave the way for Duffy’s son-in-law.
Duffy, a former reality TV star and congressman who also previously represented the sprawling Wisconsin district, appeared alongside Alfonso during several campaign stops as the clock ticked down on Election Day.
Alfonso posted multiple times on social media standing alongside the transportation secretary giving a thumbs up. He defended using his father-in-law on the trail in an interview with the local station WSAW over the weekend.
“He just wants to, you know, remind the voters that this guy, this young 26-year-old, he’s got the energy of someone in their 20s, but the values of someone in the 7th district: faith, family, and freedom,” Alfonso said.
Alfonso appeared for an interview on NewsNation with his father-in-law seated right next to him where he was also challenged on the claims that he was a shoo-in thanks to Duffy’s effort and Trump’s endorsement.
“Look, I’m not going to apologize for marrying my middle school sweetheart,” Alfonso said before touting that he grew up in the district and works there, claiming that among the candidates in the race he was the “hardest working one” with his efforts traveling the district.
Duffy also pushed back on nepotism accusations that his son-in-law was hardworking when it came to his job in construction and “cares about the district” before attacking Hermening as “a little bit older” and “entitled to these positions.”
“He’s doing well because he’s a hard worker and has the right message for the district,” Duffy insisted as Alfonso sat awkwardly beside him nodding.
Alfonso’s Fox News television star mother-in-law Rachel Campos-Duffy also went to bat for Alfonso, singing his praises in her own social media video posted on Monday before the election.
