New Democratic Ads Highlight ‘Epstein Files’ In Swing Districts
Looking ahead to 2026 midterms, ad campaign seeks to capitalize on Republican tensions.
Wisconsin Congressional Map. Image from Wisconsin State Legislature.
Democrats are escalating an effort to capitalize on a Republican rift about documents related to financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
And they’re doing it in Wisconsin.
The Democratic National Committee launched a digital ad campaign Friday encouraging Wisconsinites to demand Republican representatives release the “Epstein files.”
That term refers to evidence gathered by federal authorities in investigations of Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors.
The ads target U.S. Reps. Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden, two Wisconsin Republicans whose districts national Democrats hope to flip in the 2026 midterms.
Especially in Van Orden’s district, it’s the latest of many efforts toward that goal. Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan has held several critical “town halls” in the Republican’s district. And with over a year until the election, Van Orden’s chief Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke has already raised almost $2 million.
“Democrats are going to continue to hold the Trump administration and Wisconsin Republicans in Congress accountable for their failure to release the Epstein files and the cover-up that we are witnessing in real time,” wrote Tim Hogan, a senior DNC advisor, in a statement about the ad buy.
Ad buy comes after Democrats sense opportunity in GOP Epstein rift
Taking up the cause of releasing Epstein documents represents an about-face for Democrats.
Epstein’s death was ruled a suicide. But for years, some Republican politicians echoed theories that Epstein was killed to conceal the possible connection of notable figures to his trafficking ring.
In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi said an alleged list of Epstein’s clients was “sitting on my desk right now.” But in July, Bondi’s office changed course, joining the FBI to say the government didn’t possess a “client list” after all.
That opened a rift between President Donald Trump’s administration and some of its Republican allies in Congress, who’d called for releasing documents from Epstein investigations.
It’s a rift Democrats quickly capitalized on. In Congress, they jammed committees with bills calling for releasing the files, finding some Republican support.
On Wednesday, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson called the House into its summer recess early, blaming Democrats for politicizing the Epstein issue. Democrats accused him of avoiding votes on Epstein-related bills they claimed would pass.
President Donald Trump has tried to tamp down anger about Epstein files among his base. This spring, Bondi informed Trump his name appeared in the documents, the New York Times reported.
Of the DNC’s two new Wisconsin ads, one features old footage of President Donald Trump socializing with Epstein. The other features hard-right U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, describing the influx of calls her office received about the Epstein files.
Greene has criticized Trump’s administration for its handling of Epstein disclosures. Earlier this week, she claimed that “the base will turn” if the Trump administration doesn’t commit to greater transparency around Epstein.
Democrats’ Wisconsin ad campaign will be featured in “conservative information spaces,” the DNC’s statement said.
“For each action taker, the DNC will onboard them into our organizing program, strengthening our base and capitalizing on Democrats’ growing momentum,” the statement said.
‘Assumed this was a QAnon conspiracy’: Democratic Rep. explains evolving views
On Wednesday, Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan explained his evolving views on the Epstein controversy.
“I kind of assumed this was a QAnon conspiracy,” he said on CNN Wednesday. “But I don’t think that anymore when the president daily has to deny involvement, when we have to shut down Congress for the summer.”
“It doesn’t pass the smell test. There’s something going on,” he said.
Meanwhile, Republican U.S. Rep. Tony Wied called Democrats’ newfound interest in the Epstein documents a “political game.”
“This is something that Democrats haven’t talked about before, certainly not during the Biden administration,” he told WLUK.
“I trust President Trump, I trust the Department of Justice that they are going to release those files,” Wied said.
The DOJ could soon be forced to take that step. Of the many Democratic attempts to force disclosures of Epstein documents, one stuck. A House committee voted to subpoena the Department of Justice for the files Wednesday, helped by the support of three Republicans.
Wisconsin Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman is a member of that committee. He did not vote for the subpoena measure.
As for Van Orden, the swing district incumbent has called for “every bit of evidence concerning Epstein to [be] released with the ONLY redactions being the victims’ names.”
But since Democrats started writing bills aimed at doing so, Van Orden’s social media feeds have been largely absent of Epstein references. Instead, in a now-deleted post, he echoed calls for prosecuting former President Barack Obama and continued a long-running feud with Pocan.
Cooke had already sought to use the Epstein issue against Van Orden. Earlier this month, she said that Van Orden “bailed out rich predators by refusing to release the Epstein files.”
Democrats bring ‘Epstein files’ demands to Wisconsin swing districts in new ads was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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