Epstein Files Influence Ohio Senate Race

Ohio's U.S. Senate race, projected to be one of the most expensive this year, has become deeply entangled with the connections of billionaire Les Wexner, a former financial advisor to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Wexner, who has publicly disavowed his past association with Epstein, contributed approximately $116,000 to Republican Sen. Jon Husted between 2001 and 2025. While a small portion of Husted's overall fundraising, Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown has made these donations a focal point of his campaign, running television ads highlighting the funds received by Husted.

The Epstein files and Wexner's history of political giving are expected to gain further prominence in early October when a traveling exhibit displaying Justice Department files related to the case arrives in Ohio. "We want to show these elected officials and the candidates that the public is interested in this topic, and the public is demanding justice for survivors and accountability," stated David Garrett, executive director of the Institute for Primary Facts, which organized the exhibit.

Brown's campaign has specifically promoted a $3,500 donation Wexner made to Husted in July 2025, less than two months before Husted voted with most Senate Republicans against a Democratic effort to compel the release of the Epstein files. One advertisement featured video of Wexner's deposition, where he confirmed his long-standing political support for Husted.

Husted's campaign has retaliated by attacking Brown for accepting donations from individuals whose names appeared in the Epstein documents, including Wexner's wife, Abigail, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Brown did not receive direct donations from Wexner himself. Husted's campaign also contested Brown's claim that Husted "voted to cover up the Epstein files," pointing to a later vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act where Husted voted in favor.