Transportation lobbyists have donated thousands of dollars to Sean Duffy’s son-in-law as he runs for Congress

The $16 billion Hudson Tunnel Project, under construction between Manhattan and New Jersey, will improve passenger rail service, an important issue for New York City commuters. It would seem to have nothing to do with what is happening in northern Wisconsin.

But after the White House froze federal funding for the project in the fall, citing concerns about diversity and equity measures, lobbyists interested in the tunnel donated $2,500 to a political rookie running in the Republican primary in Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district.

The young candidate, Michael Alfonso, has no influence in the matter. However, his father-in-law does: Sean Duffy is secretary of the US Department of Transportation.

The contributions are among dozens of lobbyists, business executives and political action committees tied to industries (from railroads and highways to shipping and air transportation) that Duffy’s department finances and regulates to Alfonso’s campaign. His department also oversees the Federal Aviation Administration.

Duffy held the 7th Congressional District seat for nearly a decade before resigning in 2019. He was succeeded by Tom Tiffany, who is now running for governor of Wisconsin, leaving the seat open again. Alfonso, 26, who has worked in construction and podcasting, has received the endorsement of President Donald Trump.

A ProPublica analysis found that many of Alfonso’s donors with transportation interests had never donated to Duffy or Tiffany. While legal, such donations make it appear that helping Alfonso could help troubled donors influenced by Duffy. (Politico has reported on some of these contributions.)

Alex Wong via Getty Images

“The law as it stands imposes very few restrictions,” said Daniel Weiner, director of the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, a New York-based law and policy institute. “There is a very large chasm between what is legal and what is ethical. Obviously, this raises numerous ethical questions.”

This is not the first time a relative of a Cabinet secretary has raised thorny ethical questions. During the first Trump administration, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao made headlines for giving Kentucky officials preferential treatment for millions of dollars in infrastructure grants. Kentucky is the home state of her husband, Mitch McConnell, then the Senate majority leader. At the time, Chao’s office denied showing any favoritism, saying Kentucky’s participation was not out of the ordinary.

And in 2012, during Barack Obama’s presidency, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, an Iowa Democrat, answered questions about the separation between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s business and the campaign of his wife, Christie, who was running for Congress. Christie Vilsack told ProPublica in an interview that the couple was careful to ensure that her husband did not participate in the campaign, except to support her in some debates and on election night. He “never raised funds at all,” he said.

Duffy, an influential member of Trump’s Cabinet, has been openly helping his son-in-law’s campaign. The notice for a “meet and greet” with Alfonso in November in Wausau, Wisconsin, mentioned that Duffy would be a special guest, as did an invitation to another fundraiser in December.

Among the sponsors of the December event was the Delta Air Lines political action committee. The invitation included a disclaimer: “Sean Duffy is not soliciting funds in connection with this event.”

Alfonso’s campaign did not respond to ProPublica’s requests for an interview or comment. A spokesman for Duffy, Nathaniel Sizemore, provided a written statement saying: “The Secretary attends fundraising events in his personal capacity. Regulatory decisions are guided by professional security professionals, the law and the facts.”

Nothing in the law prohibits Duffy from campaigning for his son-in-law, as long as he does so on his personal time, does not use government resources, and does not promise to take any official action in exchange for a contribution.

Alfonso is using the same fundraising consultant, Kirstin Hopkins, that Duffy hired, Federal Election Commission records show. Additionally, Alfonso has received help with ads and mailers from a super PAC, the Northwoods Future PAC, which is funded with $1 million from Duffy’s former campaign committee. Alfonso’s family advantage has irritated some Wisconsin Republicans who do not want the newcomer to reach such an important position.

Through his own campaign committee, Alfonso had raised just over $305,000 by the end of 2025, the latest filing available. By law, contributions for each election are limited to $3,500 from individuals and $5,000 from political action committees. Donors can contribute to more than one election at a time, such as a primary election and a general election.

Alfonso’s donors include lobbyist Jeffrey Miller, finance chair of Trump’s most recent inaugural committee. In December, Miller and his company’s COO separately donated to Alfonso, for a combined total of $8,500. No one listing his company, Miller Strategies, as an employer had donated to Duffy or Tiffany in the past, according to FEC records.

Lobbyist disclosure reports show Miller lobbied the Department of Transportation in 2025 on behalf of at least nine companies, a New York county and a Native American tribe. Issues included regulation of airport signage, aviation permits for the development of a supersonic aircraft and advances in GPS technology. Miller reported advocating for Archer Aviation regarding electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft technology, known as eVTOL, the basis for future flying cars.

Earlier this month, Duffy announced a first-of-its-kind FAA pilot program to test eVTOL technology in eight demonstration projects in 26 states. Archer was among the companies selected to participate, according to the Department of Transportation. In a video accompanying the announcement, Duffy spoke enthusiastically about the technology, envisioning “Ubers in the air” that would take people from one airport to another and beyond. He said: “eVTOLs will make airspace much more interesting and fun, and we have to be ready for that.”

Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images

Miller did not return calls or emails seeking comment.

Alfonso is a 2022 graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He moved to Florida for a time to help produce a popular podcast hosted by Dan Bongino, a Trump supporter who later served a brief stint as deputy director of the FBI. (Bongino is back to podcasting.)

According to Alfonso’s account, he and Trump met for the first time in 2022 at Alfonso’s wedding to Duffy’s daughter, Evita. The reception took place at one of Trump’s golf courses in New Jersey.

Alfonso has said that in a meeting in the Oval Office after deciding to run for Congress, he pledged loyalty to the president. “I promised him that I would always put America first, that I would always fight for his agenda, and that no one would ever work better than me,” Alfonso told Mark Halperin, another podcaster.

On social media in November, Alfonso thanked Duffy for attending his first campaign event in Wausau, the city where the candidate met his future wife while they were in high school.

The following month, the Transportation Secretary appeared at a campaign fundraiser for Alfonso at a Green Bay hotel near historic Lambeau Field. Among the donors present was Sharad Tak of Bethesda, Maryland, CEO of ST LNG, a company seeking a DOT-issued license to build and operate a deep-water port off the coast of Matagorda, Texas, to load liquefied natural gas onto shippers.

Tak donated $500 to the campaign and his wife, Mahinder, who did not attend the function, donated $7,000. Neither of them had donated to Duffy or Tiffany.

Tak did not respond to ProPublica’s request for an interview, but asked an old friend of his, Ann Murphy of Green Bay, who works as a consultant for him, to respond. Tak owns a paper mill in Oconto Falls, north of Green Bay. It’s not in the 7th Congressional District. But Murphy said Tak was visiting the state and agreed, at her request, to attend the fundraiser for Alfonso.

He said in an interview that the Texas liquefied natural gas project was unrelated to Tak’s campaign contribution. “At all.”

It is typical, he said, for Tak and his wife to support causes, both political and philanthropic, that Murphy and her husband consider worthwhile, and vice versa.

“We were very excited about Michael,” Murphy said of Alfonso, comparing him to Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA who inspired many young people before he was murdered last year. “And it has the backing of President Trump.”

Other donors to Alfonso’s candidacy include political action committees for employees of military aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which is subject to FAA safety regulations and has lucrative government contracts, and for T-Mobile, which is working on a DOT project to improve the resiliency of critical 5G infrastructure. PACs from unions and trade associations for heavy equipment operators, engineers, aeronautical services and the travel industry have also collaborated.

The PAC of Brightline, a high-speed rail service in Florida, also donated $2,500 in December. Brightline trains have struck and killed more than 180 pedestrians or drivers at crossings since 2017, according to an investigation by the Miami Herald and WLRN. Duffy promised at a congressional committee hearing in July to work to “reduce the number of deaths.” In September, he announced that his department would distribute 42 million ones of dollars to improve security along the line. In a statement to Florida news organizations, Brightline officials blamed the deaths on suicides and “reckless” behavior by people who put themselves in danger.

Brightline, T-Mobile and Lockheed Martin did not respond to ProPublica’s requests for comment. On its website, Lockheed notes that it complies with all applicable laws and regulations with respect to its political and public policy activities.

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Alfonso’s campaign has garnered donations from others in the heavily regulated rail sector. Among them is Peter Bartek, founder of FTS Rail, which makes battery-powered railroad repair tools and sensors that detect rail breaks caused by extreme heat or cold. He gave $3,644 in November. Duffy appointed Bartek last July to serve on a DOT advisory committee.

Bartek had never before given money to a district candidate. In an interview, he said he read a newspaper article about Alfonso’s campaign and decided to donate. “I like Secr Etary Duffy a lot,” he said, “and I thought very simply, boy, if he’s anything like your father-in-law, it might be nice to support him too.”

He said in a text message that he did not know Duffy personally and was not involved in Alfonso’s campaign or fundraising.

In New York, construction on the Hudson Tunnel Project to improve commuter rail service came to an abrupt halt in early February after the federal government cut off funding. A court intervened, ordered the release of the money and work resumed. A bistate commission overseeing the project warned this month that it could face disruptions again in the coming months if federal disbursements do not continue.

In response to ProPublica’s communication, an executive at Venture Government Strategies, whose lobbyists for the tunnel project donated a total of $2,500 to Alfonso, said in an email that the company had no comment.

On his campaign website, Alfonso lists a dozen issues “that matter to us,” ranging from education and health care to immigration. He wants to “strengthen farms and families,” “give a voice to Generation Z,” and work against abortion access.

Transportation issues are not among those priorities, but it still receives support from General Motors, which regularly lobbies the DOT on various issues, including fuel economy, vehicle safety and emissions standards, and other mandates. The giant automaker also gave it to Duffy when he ran for the congressional seat, and the Transportation Secretary became a backup. (GM did not respond to ProPublica’s request for comment.)

In mid-December, social media viewers watched Duffy get behind the wheel of a sleek, limited-edition black Corvette imbued with patriotic insignia to celebrate the nation’s upcoming 250th birthday.

“Over 1,000 horsepower,” Duffy said in a promotional video, emphasizing the dynamic features of the $200,000 supercar. “Let’s take this bad boy for a little test drive to the Army-Navy game.” He went away.

The video, uploaded to social media platform

The post received more than 130,000 views: a valuable advertisement for the historic automobile manufacturer General Motors. A couple of weeks later, GM’s political action committee donated $1,000 to Alfonso.