A 26-year-old Trump-endorsed congressional candidate claimed Tuesday that he "saw" socialism taking hold in Cuba, 44 years before he was born.

Michael Alfonso, 26, is running for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District in an Aug. 11 Republican primary, Spectrum News reported. He is the son-in-law of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who held the seat for eight years.

"This rise of socialism here in the United States, it's a really scary thing, especially for me and my family," Alfonso said on radio host David Webb's SiriusXM show.

"My grandparents came to this country from Cuba," he continued. "I saw what happens when socialism starts gaining a foothold somewhere. It turns into communism, and then you have to flee."

According to Alfonso's own account, he was born in 2000. His grandfather immigrated to the United States in 1956, three years before Fidel Castro's revolution toppled Cuba's government and brought communism to the island.

"My grandfather came to the country in 1956 as a political refugee from Cuba," Alfonso told DrydenWire in October 2025. "He came with his wife, who was pregnant with my father, and they set up a life in Chicago, Illinois."

On Webb's show, Alfonso referred to "grandparents" coming from Cuba. The DrydenWire interview describes only his grandfather making that journey.

PBS Wisconsin reported that Duffy transferred $1 million from his old campaign account to a super PAC supporting Alfonso.

President Donald Trump endorsed Alfonso in January, calling him a "MAGA Warrior," according to Spectrum News. The endorsement and outside support have drawn added attention to a race that will decide who can claim the safely Republican seat Duffy once held, with the primary scheduled more than a year ahead of the election.

The Republican primary is scheduled for Aug. 11, 2026.