Republicans retained control of seats in northern Wisconsin through the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

In the race for the 7th District Congressional seat that was left open when U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany launched his bid for the governor’s seat, Republican Michael Alfonso beat out Democrat Fred Clark with 56.1% of the vote to Clark’s 43.9%. In Vilas County, Alfonso earned 7,703 votes to Clark’s 5,338; and in Oneida, Alfonso took 10,891 to Clark’s 9,062.
As the youngest person elected to Congress, when he is sworn in Alfonso will become the first Gen Z member of Congress and the first member born in the 21st Century.

He spent time in his youth living in Land O’ Lakes before moving to Wausau for middle and high school where he met his wife, Evita Duffy, (daughter of former District 7 Rep. Sean Duffy). The two live in the Wausau area where they are raising a young family.

The congressman-elect issued a statement saying he was “deeply humbled” that voters put their trust in him and thanked Clark for a hard-fought race.

He also highlighted some of his priorities in Congress, including making sure young people can afford to live the American Dream in northern Wisconsin.

“That means earning a good living, buying a home, raising a family, and putting down roots in the Northwoods and the communities that raised them. I want the next generation to build their future here, in a place they still recognize,” Alfonso said. “I want a WI-7 that values faith and protects the right to worship. That respects the sanctity of life. That recognizes biological reality and protects young girls in their sports and their locker rooms. And that defends your Second Amendment right to protect yourself and your family.”

Clark released a statement via social media following the election expressing his thanks to those who supported his campaign and looking back at the accomplishments.

“It’s worth looking at the big picture to see how far we’ve come. For a seat won by a 26% margin in 2024, we moved the needle and closed the distance to a win by more than half,” Clark said. “In the process we built a stronger and broader coalition than we have seen in many years here in northern Wisconsin. And that coalition lives on and that’s only going to get stronger.”

Elsewhere in the state, Democrats flipped two U.S. House seats, with Rebecca Cooke defeating Republican incumbent Derrick Van Orden in District 3, and Democrat Mitchell Berman winning District 1 from Republican incumbent Bryan Steil.

Swearingen secures eighth term

In the 34th Assembly District race, longtime incumbent Rep. Rob Swearingen (R-Rhinelander) defeated Democratic challenger Merlin Van Buren to secure an eighth two-year term representing the Northwoods in Madison.

Swearingen captured 8,076 votes in Vilas County and 11,007 in Oneida County, outpacing Van Buren’s 4,962 and 8,180 votes, respectively.

Van Buren, a Rhinelander School District Board of Education member, centered his campaign on public school funding and water protection. Swearingen, who chairs the Assembly Committee on State Affairs and vice-chairs the Assembly Committee on Tourism, campaigned heavily on supporting small businesses, tourism promotion, rural infrastructure funding, and keeping state spending in check.

A lifelong Rhinelander resident, Swearingen attended Rhinelander Catholic Central as a youth and graduated from Rhinelander High School in 1981. He and his wife, Amy, have been married for more than 30 years and owned and operated the Al-Gen Dinner Club in Rhinelander for three decades.

In materials emphasizing his legislative service, Swearingen has described representing northern Wisconsin as both a passion and a privilege.

“I believe the Northwoods is a truly beautiful destination to vacation, live, work, and raise a family,” Swearingen noted. “Serving the residents of northern Wisconsin continues to be an extremely rewarding and humbling experience.”

Countywide offices run uncontested

Two local constitutional offices in Vilas and Oneida counties also appeared on ballots Tuesday, though both featured uncontested races.

In Vilas County, Sheriff Gerard Ritter and Clerk of Circuit Court Beth Soltow officially retained their positions. In Oneida County, Sheriff Grady Hartman and Clerk of Circuit Court Brenda Behrle also won re-election unopposed.