Epstein files are shaking up swing districts as Democrats turn up the heat and Trump allies walk a tightrope between transparency and party loyalty.
The Jeffrey Epstein saga is flaring up again, and this time it’s hitting swing districts just as the 2024 campaign cycle starts to simmer. Democrats have turned up the pressure with a vote to subpoena Epstein’s client list and even launched Epstein-related TV ads in key battlegrounds like Pennsylvania.
At recent telephone town halls in the state, Republican Reps. Scott Perry and Ryan Mackenzie fielded tough questions from voters about whether Donald Trump’s name might be on that infamous list—and what they’re doing to make the files public.
When asked directly during his town hall if he thought Trump’s name might appear on Epstein’s client list and whether it should be released, Mackenzie didn’t dodge.
“I’m in support of full transparency,” he told the caller. “It is a topic of such national interest and speculation, going back to its original days.”
Mackenzie also threw in a bit of a jab at President Biden, saying he should have released the files during his time in office. Now, he says, it’s up to Trump. “And if not, then Congress should potentially step in and compel them to do that because again, the American people deserve to have full transparency and information about what is in those files and ultimately, we’re going to get there,” he added.
Over on Perry’s call, the congressman made it clear he’s already taken steps: “I have requested that the DOJ … release the files,” Perry said. “Not only that, they also provide a special prosecutor … as well as other things. I’ve been very clear and I’ve been out front on it.”
According to a report by WHYY, many Democrats are capitalizing on the issue, which seems to be opening cracks within Trump’s support base. A recent Quinnipiac poll found that 63% of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling the Epstein case, including 36% of Republicans. That discontent includes MAGA and QAnon followers who continue to believe Epstein was connected to a vast elite sex trafficking ring.
Democrats, meanwhile, are seizing the moment. Pittsburgh-area Rep. Summer Lee introduced the motion to subpoena the files, and it passed in the House Oversight Committee with help from three Republicans, including Perry.
Lee insists this isn’t about political games. “The impetus here is that the American people have been calling for this for so long,” she said. “I’m happy that the Republicans joined us, and the opportunity to prove that they are willing to have some level of transparency too.”
Still, Democrats are running hard with the issue. Over the summer recess, they’ve launched Epstein-focused ads in swing districts like that of Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, another Republican they’re targeting in 2024.
Political strategist Sam Chen, who’s worked with GOP campaigns before, warned this could backfire on Republicans not named Trump. “We call him ‘Teflon Don’ for a reason,” Chen said. “The Trump-light candidates don’t have his kind of Teflonness.”
He believes the standard “full transparency” line isn’t going to cut it with voters anymore. “They want these files released … you want your member of Congress to commit to that specific language and say, ‘Yes, I will vote to release the files.’”
Even so, Chen said the Epstein issue might not last. If the economy is doing well, it might take center stage. But if voters are hurting, economic issues could drown it out.
Lee agrees voters are juggling a lot. “We’re all living in this attention economy,” she said, adding that threats to Medicaid, Social Security, and environmental policy are also front of mind.