Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is throwing the full weight of his Cabinet position and White House access behind his 26-year-old son-in-law's bid for a Wisconsin House seat, triggering a backlash from fellow Republicans who accuse him of abusing his office to hand an unqualified candidate a congressional seat.
Michael Alfonso, a first-time candidate and former conservative podcast producer, has benefited from a coordinated campaign that bears all of Duffy's hallmarks: Trump's endorsement secured at Duffy's personal request, six-figure transfers from the secretary's old campaign account, a string of fundraisers, and campaign staffers poached from Duffy's political machine.
The operation has inflamed Wisconsin's Republican primary race ahead of an August 11 vote to fill the House seat being vacated by GOP Rep. Tom Tiffany. Five Republicans are competing, but observers say Duffy's shadow looms over the field so heavily that rival candidates have found themselves frozen out of donor networks and party support.
Meg Ellefson, a Wisconsin podcaster and former radio host who once championed Duffy early in his political career, said she is now "utterly disgusted by this blatant manipulation of voters." She accused Duffy of "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." Ellefson is backing one of Alfonso's primary rivals.
Jessica McBride, a contributor to Wisconsin Right Now, a conservative news outlet, said Republican activists believe Alfonso's background is too thin for Congress. "There is disrespect being shown to the grassroots, which taken together amounts to a sense of entitlement," McBride said.
The campaign contributions paint a revealing picture. Alfonso has pulled in more than $50,000 from transportation-associated political action committees, an industry Duffy directly oversees as head of the Department of Transportation. Delta Airlines hosted a fundraiser for him in December. Transportation interests that stand to benefit from Duffy's regulatory authority appear to be betting on his family connection.
Duffy's team denies any impropriety. Nathaniel Sizemore, a Duffy spokesperson, said the secretary uses his DOT position solely to "execute on the president's ambitious transportation agenda." He insisted Duffy's political activity occurs in his "personal capacity," a distinction protected under the Hatch Act, which generally prohibits executive branch officials from wielding their official power to influence elections.
Sizemore said DOT ethics officials screen campaign events before Duffy attends them, reviewing hosts and attendees and providing recommendations that Duffy follows.
The full scope of Duffy's involvement extends beyond money. Last October, he transferred $1 million in leftover funds from his own congressional campaign account to Alfonso's super PAC. He has attended multiple Alfonso fundraisers in Florida and Wisconsin. Members of Duffy's former political team now work for Alfonso's campaign. Alfonso also appears in Duffy's upcoming reality television show, "Great American Road Trip," which includes footage of the family walking into the Oval Office to meet Trump.
Duffy's most significant contribution, however, may have been persuading Trump to endorse Alfonso in January. Trump called the candidate a "MAGA warrior" and "a young STAR." The endorsement apparently blindsided senior White House officials, who said Duffy and his wife, Rachel Campos Duffy, did not give them advance notice before making the ask.
The effect on the primary has been tangible. At a March GOP caucus meeting in Neillsville, a town of 2,500 people, local party officials had been expected to endorse one of Alfonso's rivals. But when Duffy showed up to the gathering at an American Legion post, the group declined to endorse anyone. Several Wisconsin Republicans linked the sudden reversal to his appearance.
Alfonso's campaign countered by saying he has "earned support from conservative leaders, including a majority of Wisconsin's congressional delegation and from grassroots supporters across the district and country."
Wisconsin Republicans have also noted that Alfonso has skipped debates, a sign they interpret as overconfidence built on his father-in-law's machinery rather than on grassroots momentum or policy credibility.
Author James Rodriguez: "Using a Cabinet post to bankroll a family member's political ambitions is the kind of entitlement Republicans claim to despise, and the fact that it's happening this openly suggests Duffy believes the rules simply don't apply to him."
Comments