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Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District election, 2026 (August 11 Republican primary)

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← 2024
Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: June 1, 2026
Primary: August 11, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Wisconsin

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District
1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th
Wisconsin elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

A Republican Party primary takes place on August 11, 2026, in Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District to determine which Republican candidate will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
June 1, 2026
August 11, 2026
November 3, 2026



A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Wisconsin utilizes an open primary system; registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[1]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This is one of 56 open races for the U.S. House of Representatives this year in which an incumbent is not running for re-election. Across the country, 21 Democrats and 35 Republicans are not running for re-election. In 2024, 45 incumbents — 24 Democrats and 21 Republicans — did not seek re-election.

This page focuses on Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 7

Michael Alfonso (R), Jessi Ebben (R), Kevin Hermening (R), Niina Threlfall-Baum (R), and Paul Wassgren (R) are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 7 on August 11, 2026.

Candidate
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Michael Alfonso
Image of Jessi Ebben
Jessi Ebben
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Kevin Hermening
Image of Niina Threlfall-Baum
Niina Threlfall-Baum  Candidate Connection
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Paul Wassgren

There are no incumbents in this race.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Niina Threlfall-Baum

Image of Niina Threlfall-Baum

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "Niina Baum is running for Congress in Wisconsin’s 7th District as a moderate Republican focused on practical solutions to the challenges most people are facing in rural communities. Raised on a northern Wisconsin dairy farm and now a small business owner, Baum emphasizes policies grounded in the needs of the district rather than political ideology. Her campaign prioritizes lowering cost-of-living pressures, improving access to healthcare, expanding workforce and housing opportunities, supporting small farms and strengthening domestic food stability, and ensuring responsible oversight of large-scale development projects (AI Data Centers) affecting communities. Baum supports traditional Republican principles including fiscal responsibility, local control, and accountability in government, while advocating a problem-solving approach that avoids political extremes and focuses on results. She has pledged not to accept corporate PAC contributions funded by corporate treasury money, emphasizing transparency and constituent accountability. Baum's goal is to represent Wisconsin’s 7th District by listening to residents, weighing evidence and tradeoffs, and advancing policies that reflect the needs of the district rather than partisan ideology."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Niina Baum is running for Congress as a moderate Republican focused on practical problem-solving rather than political extremes. She supports traditional Republican principles such as fiscal responsibility, local control, and government accountability, while emphasizing collaboration and results. Baum says effective representation begins with listening to constituents, weighing evidence and tradeoffs, and advancing policies that reflect the real needs of Wisconsin’s 7th District.

Raised on a northern Wisconsin dairy farm and now a small business owner, Baum centers her campaign on challenges facing rural communities. Her priorities include addressing cost-of-living pressures, expanding access to healthcare, increasing workforce and housing availability, supporting small farms, and strengthening domestic food stability. She advocates policies designed to help rural communities remain economically sustainable and attractive for families and businesses.

Baum has pledged not to accept corporate PAC contributions funded by corporate treasury money, emphasizing transparency and accountability to constituents. She says campaigns should answer to voters rather than special interests and that elected officials should focus on long-term solutions instead of partisan conflict. Her campaign promotes a people-first approach centered on integrity, open dialogue, and responsible governance.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Wisconsin

Election information in Wisconsin: Aug. 11, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 11, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by July 22, 2026
  • Online: July 22, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 9, 2026
  • By mail: Received by Aug. 6, 2026
  • Online: Aug. 6, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 11, 2026
  • By mail: Received by Aug. 11, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

July 28, 2026 to Aug. 9, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (CT)

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Michael Alfonso Republican Party $313,070 $33,671 $279,398 As of December 31, 2025
Jessi Ebben Republican Party $366,350 $101,142 $266,811 As of December 31, 2025
Kevin Hermening Republican Party $1,034,590 $34,295 $1,000,295 As of December 31, 2025
Niina Threlfall-Baum Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Paul Wassgren Republican Party $1,599,983 $166,638 $1,433,345 As of December 31, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_wi_congressional_district_07.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+11. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 11 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Wisconsin's 7th the 112th most Republican district nationally.[2]

2024 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
38.0%61.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Wisconsin, 2024

Wisconsin presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 15 Democratic wins
  • 16 Republican wins
  • 1 other win
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party R R R D R R P[3] R D D D R D R R R D R R D R R D D D D D D D R D R
See also: Party control of Wisconsin state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Wisconsin's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Wisconsin
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 1 2 3
Republican 1 6 7
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 8 10

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Wisconsin's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Wisconsin, October 2025
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorDemocratic Party Tony Evers
Lieutenant GovernorDemocratic Party Sara Rodriguez
Secretary of StateDemocratic Party Sarah Godlewski
Attorney GeneralDemocratic Party Josh Kaul

State legislature

Wisconsin State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 15
     Republican Party 18
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 33

Wisconsin State Assembly

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 45
     Republican Party 54
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 99

Trifecta control

Wisconsin Party Control: 1992-2025
Two years of Democratic trifectas  •  Ten years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D
Senate D R R R D D R D D D D R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Wisconsin in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Wisconsin, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Wisconsin U.S. House All candidates 1,000 N/A 6/1/2026 Source

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "Wis. Stat. § 5.62," accessed January 5, 2026
  2. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
  3. ↑ Progressive Party


Wisconsin's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Tammy Baldwin (D)
Ronald Johnson (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
Tony Wied (R)
Republican Party (7)
Democratic Party (3)


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