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Epstein files hit the campaign trail
Over the past 10 days, there has been an absolute news whirlwind around the Epstein files. From the House Oversight Committee’s latest release of documents from Epstein’s estate — in which Donald Trump’s name was mentioned more than anyone else — to the nearly unanimous votes to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act in the House and the Senate, it has all taken a turn Trump probably hates.
Given how the American public feels about both the importance of releasing the files and the Trump administration’s handling of this entirely gross cover-up — an October Reuters/Ipsos poll found Americans disapprove of Trump on this issue by a 57–19% margin) — it feels like it could be the kind of issue that would come up frequently on the campaign trail.
And if Republican members back off their support for the files’ release, maybe candidates will start talking about it in the future. But so far, the Epstein files have not made their way into many campaign ads this year.
Yet there is an interesting exception in the final special election of the year. In Tennessee’s 7th District, outside groups are infusing the campaign with ads putting Republican opposition to release the files on full display.
Aftyn Behn, the progressive grassroots organizer who became the Democratic nominee after a crowded primary, used her first campaign ad to feature a man riding a mechanical bull to symbolize the “rough ride” citizens face under Trump-era policies. The ad argues that Washington’s system is “rigged” to protect the wealthy and bury the Epstein files.
And according to Axios, a liberal group called Your Community PAC is spending more than $300,000 on a mailing ad blitz attacking Republican nominee Matt Van Epps for opposing the release of the documents. Van Epps, like Trump, flip-flopped on the files’ release this week. The ad also includes independent candidate Jon Thorp’s support for making the files public.
So why Tennessee?
Well, it’s a district Trump won by 22 points just a year ago, but internal polling for Behn’s campaign suggests she has cut that advantage in half. While she is spending most of her money and energy talking about issues such as affordability, the Epstein issue could juice the base in favor of her, and even suppress some who are angry with the Republican candidate.
Behn is still an underdog, but the special election is coming up right after Thanksgiving. If she somehow pulls this off, or even comes close, highlighting the Epstein files may be a strategy worth looking at down the road.









