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Alfonso touts faith, family and hard work | News
Michael Alfonso, the 26-year-old Republican nominee for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, positions affordable living as his top priority if elected.
Updated Oct 16, 2026, 2:28 PM ET
Fred Clark, a Democratic former Wisconsin state representative and conservationist, is his party's nominee for Wisconsin's open 7th congressional district seat in 2026 against Republican media producer Michael Alfonso.
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Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Fred Clark.
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Recent media coverage for Fred Clark.
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Can Fred Clark Flip Wisconsin’s Deep-Red 7th Congressional District? » Urban Milwaukee
“Michael Alfonso is on a mission to restore hope for Americans, preserve the country we love and deliver the MAGA agenda,” his website states.
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7th District congressional candidates to take farm questions at virtual town hall
The Merrill Foto News article announces a virtual town hall for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, featuring candidates Fred Clark and Michael Alfonso.
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Social Security cost of living, Nobel winner Francis Halzen, Legacy of funk drummer Clyde Stubblefield
The Wisconsin 7th Congressional District race features Republican Michael Alfonso vs. Democrat Fred Clark. The district is Wisconsin’s largest, covering central and northern areas, and has been solidly Republican.
No story this week names this candidate.
- Born
- May 14, 1959
- Birthplace
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Education
- Huron High School (1977)
Michigan Technological University
Michigan State University (B.S., 1985)
University of Wisconsin-Madison (M.S. in forest science, 1992)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Fred Clark was born on May 14, 1959, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and graduated from Huron High School there in 1977. He attended Michigan Technological University before earning a B.S. from Michigan State University in 1985 and an M.S. in forest science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992. Clark worked as a senior forester with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and as an ecologist with The Nature Conservancy. Clark is from Bayfield, Wisconsin.
Career
As a consulting forester, Clark owned and operated Clark Forestry in Baraboo from 1995 to 2014, and from 2014 to 2018 he ran Baraboo Woodworks, a sawmill and hardwood business.
He was executive director of the Forest Stewards Guild from 2014 to 2017 and the first executive director of Wisconsin's Green Fire from 2018 to 2023.
Governor Tommy Thompson appointed him to the Lower Wisconsin Riverway Board in 1998, and Governor Jim Doyle named him to the Wisconsin Council on Forestry in 2004.
Clark won a seat in the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2008, defeating Republican incumbent J.A. "Doc" Hines, and became chair of the forestry committee in December 2009. He was reelected in 2010 by a narrow margin over Republican Jack Cummings.
In 2011 he ran in the recall election for the 14th Wisconsin Senate district against Luther Olsen, who won with 52% to Clark's 48%. Clark served three Assembly terms and endorsed his successor, Dave Considine. In 2019 Governor Tony Evers appointed him to the Department of Natural Resources board.
2026 race
Wisconsin's 7th district covers the northwestern part of the state, including Wausau and Superior. The seat is open because Republican incumbent Tom Tiffany is running for governor.
Fred Clark won a three-way Democratic primary with 37.66% of the vote, ahead of attorney Ginger Murray with 31.82% and business owner Chris Armstrong with 30.41%.
In the November 3, 2026, general election he faces Republican Michael Alfonso, a media producer and son-in-law of Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, who won his own primary with 48.96%.