But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check

Michael Alfonso

Republican · U.S. House, Wisconsin District 7
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How this mark works

We track key votes on sending U.S. weapons and money to the government of Israel. A check means every tracked vote they cast came down against sending more, on the side of peace and de-escalation. A question mark means a mixed record: they sided with sending up to half of the time. An X means they voted to send more weapons and money in over half of their tracked votes, even as the way those weapons and dollars were being used became more and more obvious. At exactly half, money this election cycle from a lobbying group we track, or an endorsement from a group that backs sending weapons, makes it an X. Only votes actually cast are counted. Where a candidate has no recorded votes on these bills, the mark comes instead from a reviewed reading of their public record (money from the lobbying groups we track, endorsements, and their own words since January 26, 2024). There an X also covers fully backing the conduct of the war by the government of Israel without significant reservations, and a question mark also covers speaking about Israel without saying clearly where they stand on U.S. weapons and funding. A dash means No Position Found: we found nothing in their own words about Israel, Gaza or the war.

See a dash? Ask the candidate where they stand, then send us their answer and we'll review it and update the mark. Or volunteer to help review candidates.

No recorded votes on the bills we track. We found nothing in their own words about Israel, Gaza or the war.

Nothing located as of September 2026 has Alfonso taking a position on U.S. weapons or money for the government of Israel, or on U.S. aid to Palestinians. His platform pledges to stop wasteful foreign spending and names no country, and nothing else of his reaches these questions.

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Deep Dive

Michael Alfonso is the Republican nominee in Wisconsin's 7th District, which covers the northern quarter of the state and has no incumbent in this race. He is 26, grew up in Land O' Lakes and Wausau, took a mathematics degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, worked in the construction and concrete industry and produced a national political podcast. He is married to Evita Duffy, whose father held this seat from 2011 to 2019 and is now the United States Secretary of Transportation. Alfonso has not held public office. He won the Republican primary on August 11, 2026 with 48.9 percent in a field of five, and faces the Democrat Fred Clark on November 3, 2026.

His campaign platform reaches foreign spending once and stops there. The section headed Prioritize Americans' Interests reads in full: "Instead of helping Americans at home, Washington poured billions of dollars into forever wars and foreign aid. Meanwhile, thousands of people are homeless and suffering in Wisconsin alone. Michael Alfonso will put America First, fix problems here, and stop wasteful foreign spending." It names no country, no weapon and no form of aid. The other eleven sections are housing, farms, schools, abortion, the states, immigration, religious freedom, stock trading by members of Congress, the Second Amendment, health care and young voters, and none of them mentions Israel, Gaza, Palestinians or the Middle East. A general pledge to cut foreign spending is not by itself a position on what the United States sends to the government of Israel or to Palestinians, and nothing here is read as one.

Nothing else of his reaches the question either. His campaign has published ten releases since March 2026, on endorsements, fundraising, a farm visit, advertising and his primary opponents, and none of them touches this subject. A voter guide put the question to him directly this year, asking "Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?", and his entry records "Did not answer", as it does for every other question on the form, so it says nothing about this subject in particular. An empty record carries no implication either way.

A television interview he gave and a debate report from one station could not be read here, and their addresses are on his research page so that anyone who can open them may look. You are better placed to change this than we are. Ask Alfonso directly, or at a candidate forum, and send us the reply: it goes on this page in his own words, which is worth more than anything we could write about him.

The money

Checked the five lobbying groups we track; no direct 2026 support found

2026 support from the five lobbying groups we track
Nothing recorded (as of 2026-09-27) from the five lobbying groups we track; earlier cycles and earmarked donations not yet tracked.
Support-only OpenFEC data. Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.

In their words

“Instead of helping Americans at home, Washington poured billions of dollars into forever wars and foreign aid. Meanwhile, thousands of people are homeless and suffering in Wisconsin alone.”
Source ↗, 2026-09-20
“Michael Alfonso will put America First, fix problems here, and stop wasteful foreign spending.”
Source ↗, 2026-09-20

Research log

The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.

Every page named below was opened and read on 2026-09-20 unless the entry says otherwise. His campaign site was read in full: the home page, the biography page, the issues page and the media and endorsements page, which carries his campaign's press releases in full text and is the only other page the site has. Bands: Position (2024-01-26 onward), Reaction window (2023-10-07 to 2024-01-25), Earlier record (before 2023-10-07), Undated. He has never held public office, so this record carries no roll calls and no tracked funding.

U.S. military aid and weapons to the government of Israel

  • Nothing located at any date, in either direction. A case-insensitive search of every page of his campaign site for israel, gaza, palestin, hamas, antisemit, jewish, unrwa, west bank, weapon, munition, arms, middle east, netanyahu, aipac, ceasefire and hostage returns nothing at all.
  • [Position; the page is undated and was read 2026-09-20] The one outward-facing section of his platform, headed "Prioritize Americans’ Interests", in full: "Instead of helping Americans at home, Washington poured billions of dollars into forever wars and foreign aid. Meanwhile, thousands of people are homeless and suffering in Wisconsin alone. Michael Alfonso will put America First, fix problems here, and stop wasteful foreign spending." No country, no weapon and no form of aid is named, here or anywhere else on the site. Ballotpedia reproduces the same passage from his campaign website, attributed to June 2, 2026, which is the only date any source gives for it.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • Nothing located at any date, in either direction. Neither the campaign site, nor any of his campaign's releases, nor his Ballotpedia profile mentions humanitarian funding for Gaza, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or the aid pipeline. The foreign aid line quoted above names no recipient of any kind.

Characterization of the conflict

  • Nothing located at any date. He has not been reported saying anything about the war between Israel and Hamas, in any direction, and no question about it appears in anything of his that could be read.
  • [Position, 2026-07-17] His campaign's release about a visit to Wisconsin Farm Technology Days lists things it says Republicans in Congress and the administration have already done for farmers, one of which is: "Negotiated a deal with Iran. If any Iranian assets are ever unfrozen, the funds would make American farmers richer by purchasing American soy, American corn, and American wheat." That is the only sentence about any foreign government in the whole of his campaign's published writing. It concerns Iran and farm exports, which is a different question, and it is written about the administration rather than as a position of his.

Israel-related rhetoric and lobbying

  • Nothing located at any date. No statement of his about any lobbying organization on this subject was found. His endorsements list names Pro-Life Wisconsin, CatholicVote, American Conservation Coalition Action, the Wisconsin Federation of College Republicans, College Republicans of America, Turning Point Action, Stand for Health Freedom, Wisconsin Young Republicans, Wisconsin Family Action State PAC and MAHA Action, along with three individuals, and no Israel-related organization of any kind. His campaign's releases also name the President, the Speaker of the House, the House Majority Leader and the House Majority Whip as endorsers.

Safety and antisemitism (context, not an answer to what America sends)

  • Nothing located at any date. The word antisemitism does not appear anywhere on his campaign site or in any statement of his that could be read.

What the campaign site and own pages say

  • [Read 2026-09-20] His campaign site has four pages: the home page, the biography page, the issues page and the media and endorsements page, plus a privacy policy. The addresses /about, /news, /contact and /endorsements return 404. The issues page carries twelve sections: Save the American Dream, Make Farms & Families Strong Again, Bring Back Freedom in Education, 100% Pro Life, Prioritize Americans' Interests, Restore Power to the States, Fix Immigration, Defend Religious Freedom, End Corruption in Congress, Safeguard the Second Amendment, Make Healthcare Affordable and Give Gen Z a Voice. Only the fifth looks outside the country, and it is quoted in full above.
  • [Read 2026-09-20] The biography page sets out his childhood in the district, his marriage, his work in construction and as a podcast producer, his grandparents' flight from Cuba, his account of the pandemic, his argument about young people and socialism, and his admiration for Charlie Kirk. It contains no foreign policy of any kind. The campaign is paid for by Alfonso for Congress from a post office box in Hudson.
  • [Read 2026-09-20] The media page carries ten campaign press releases in full, dated March 7, April 14, July 16 twice, July 17, July 18, July 29, July 30, August 6 and August 20, 2026, with one further item dated August 31. Their subjects are endorsements, fundraising totals, a poll, a tele-rally, an advertisement, a farm visit, attack advertising by primary opponents and a social media argument. None of them touches this subject.
  • [Read 2026-09-20] His Ballotpedia page carries key messages compiled by Ballotpedia staff from his campaign website and two campaign social media posts, on the American Dream, working with the President, housing and immigration. It reproduces his campaign website's issue text verbatim and dates that reproduction to June 2, 2026. He has not completed Ballotpedia's candidate survey.
  • [Read 2026-09-20] His entry in a voter guide identifies him as the Republican candidate for U.S. Representative, Wisconsin District 7. The guide asks "Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?" and records "Did not answer". It records the same for every other question on the form, across right to life, the economy, religious liberty, health care, national security, immigration, education, values, elections, equality, energy and environment, criminal justice and the Second Amendment. A form left blank throughout is a fact about the form and not about this subject, and nothing is inferred from it.

The race

  • [Read 2026-09-20] The general election is on November 3, 2026. Wisconsin's partisan primary was held on August 11, 2026 and the filing deadline was June 1, 2026. The field on the Wisconsin Elections Commission's certified Candidates on Ballot list, printed on August 25, 2026, is Michael Alfonso, a Republican, and Fred Clark, a Democrat. The list prints the district's incumbent as Tom Tiffany and gives the total number of candidates for the office as two. The same list carries Tom Tiffany as a candidate for governor of Wisconsin, on the Republican ticket with David Varnam.
  • [Read 2026-09-20] Ballotpedia's page for the 2026 election in Wisconsin's 7th District agrees: "Fred Clark and Michael Alfonso are running in the general election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 7 on November 3, 2026." It states plainly that "There are no incumbents in this race", that "Incumbent Tom Tiffany (R) ran for governor of Wisconsin", and that "Before the election, this was one of 59 open races for the U.S. House of Representatives in which an incumbent did not seek re-election." Alfonso won the Republican primary with 48.9 percent and 48,476 votes over Kevin Hermening at 26.6 percent, Jessi Ebben at 15.6, Niina Threlfall-Baum at 4.8 and Donald Raihala at 3.9; Fred Clark won the Democratic primary with 37.5 percent. Cheryl Ann Runkel and Paul Wassgren, both Republicans, are listed as withdrawn or disqualified. Ballotpedia prints its own caution that the candidate list may not be complete.
  • Fred Clark's record is on his own card and is not narrated here.

Places that could not be read, so nothing is claimed from them

  • https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/michael-alfonso-on-his-2026-campaign-for-congress-and-trump/ , a television interview about his campaign. It refused every attempt on 2026-09-20, as the same host has for other candidates. This is the item most likely to put open questions to him on subjects his platform does not cover.
  • https://www.wjfw.com/news/local/republican-candidates-for-district-7-hold-debate-in-mercer-with-alfonso-absent/article_d0d740c3-4ccb-4bf7-8990-1e99c34cce0d.html , a report of a primary debate in Mercer, and https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2026/06/23/7th-congressional-district-candidates-to-participate-in-july-debates/ , a notice of the July debates. Both refused on 2026-09-20.
  • His campaign's accounts: https://twitter.com/mikealfonsowi and the two Facebook pages his own site embeds. None was read, and no video or advertisement was watched.

Not on the card, and why

  • The line in his campaign's July 2026 farm release about a deal with Iran and unfrozen Iranian assets. A different question from what the United States sends to the government of Israel or to Palestinians, and it is written about the administration rather than as a position of his. It is quoted in full above.
  • The blank voter guide form, as evidence of anything about this subject. He answered no question on it at all, which is a fact about the form. The Israel question and the answer field are recorded above because a reader may want to know the question was put.
  • The housing, farms, schools, abortion, federalism, immigration, religious freedom, congressional stock trading, Second Amendment, health care and Gen Z material that fills his platform, and the pandemic, Cuba and campus passages of his biography. Out of scope. The headings are named above so a reader can see what the rest of the record covers.
  • Fred Clark's record. Another candidate's record belongs on that candidate's own card.
  • The reaction-window rule has nothing to act on here. Nothing of his from between October 7, 2023 and January 25, 2024 was found in any source read for this card; he held no office and was not a candidate then.

Sources retrieved for this card (address; opened or could not open; date)

  • https://www.alfonsoforwisconsin.com/ , https://www.alfonsoforwisconsin.com/meet , https://www.alfonsoforwisconsin.com/issues/ , https://www.alfonsoforwisconsin.com/media and https://www.alfonsoforwisconsin.com/privacy-policy (opened; 2026-09-20)
  • https://ivoterguide.com/candidate/89067/race/27826/election/1423 (opened; 2026-09-20; the page carries no date)
  • https://ballotpedia.org/Michael_Alfonso and https://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin%27s_7th_Congressional_District_election,_2026 (opened; 2026-09-20)
  • https://elections.wi.gov/media/40951/download , the Wisconsin Elections Commission's Candidates on Ballot list for the 2026 general election (opened; 2026-09-20; printed August 25, 2026)
  • https://www.wsaw.com/2026/07/08/republican-candidates-wisconsins-7th-congressional-district-debate-rhinelander/ (opened; 2026-09-20; a report of the July 7, 2026 primary debate, which records no question on this subject)
  • https://www.wpr.org/news/duffy-son-in-law-michael-alfonso-wins-bruising-gop-primary-in-7th-congressional-district (opened; 2026-09-20; a report of the primary result, which records no statement on this subject)
  • https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/michael-alfonso-on-his-2026-campaign-for-congress-and-trump/ , https://www.wjfw.com/news/local/republican-candidates-for-district-7-hold-debate-in-mercer-with-alfonso-absent/article_d0d740c3-4ccb-4bf7-8990-1e99c34cce0d.html and https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2026/06/23/7th-congressional-district-candidates-to-participate-in-july-debates/ (could not open; 2026-09-20)
  • https://twitter.com/mikealfonsowi (not read; 2026-09-20)
  • This is a record of what was checked on 2026-09-20, not a claim that no other statement exists.

Also in this race

  1. – Fred Clark (Democrat)

All Wisconsin candidates.

But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Every claim on this page goes through at least two verification steps. Open Find Your Candidates for votes, funding and contact details.