Epstein attack ads flood final midterm weekend, hitting Republicans and some Democrats

Attack ads tying Republican candidates to Jeffrey Epstein are filling the airwaves in the last days before Tuesday's midterm election, and some Democrats are being hit with the same charge ¹. An analysis by CNN found candidates and outside groups have spent more than $35 million on Epstein-related ads, and a Washington Post analysis found Democrats spent more than $40 million on such ads across six key Senate races ¹.

The ads accuse Republicans of protecting pedophiles by voting against legislation to release files related to Epstein, who was accused of running a sex-trafficking ring involving minors ¹. In Colorado, ads targeting Republican Jeff Crank note he voted against releasing the Epstein files; one features family members of Virginia Giuffre, a woman who survived abuse at Epstein's hands and died by suicide last year, saying Crank "covered up Epstein's crimes to protect Donald Trump" ¹.

Iowa Senate candidate Ashley Hinson was accused of voting to protect her donors by refusing to vote to release the files ¹. Hinson answered in her own ad, saying she had to explain to her boys that she does not protect pedophiles ¹. She also said directly to camera that she voted to release the Epstein files and accused her opponent, Josh Turek, of lying ¹.

The ads often leave out that all but one House Republican voted for the Epstein Files Transparency Act once Trump agreed to sign it, the Guardian reported ¹. The ads instead point to earlier Republican opposition to forcing the legislation to the floor through a discharge petition, a procedure used to bypass the traditional steps of legislation and force a House floor vote ¹. Crank's campaign told the Washington Post the ad was "intentionally vague" because his position was that he would vote against release until he could be confident victim information was properly redacted ¹.

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Republicans push back and turn the charge around

In Georgia's Senate debate, Republican Mike Collins accused his opponent, Jon Ossoff, of taking campaign donations from tech billionaire Reid Hoffman, who had ties to Epstein; Hoffman has said he only knew Epstein through fundraising relationships and regrets it ¹. Collins said: "You can claim to fight against the Epstein class, but I'm going to tell you, this call is coming from inside the house and the Epstein class is on stage right now and it's you" ¹.

In New Mexico's governor race, an outside group accused Democrat Deb Haaland of accepting a ride on Epstein's private jet and taking "tens of thousands of dollars from Epstein businesses" ¹. Haaland did not fly on Epstein's jet, but did take a flight booked by one of Epstein's companies in 2014, and has said she was unaware the chartered flight was owned by an Epstein-owned company ¹.

A spokesperson for Florida Republican Jimmy Patronis, Melissa Stone, said his Democratic opponent Gay Valimont was "still talking about a dead pedophile in a sad web video than helping the people of [the first congressional district] recover" ¹. Patronis never called the Epstein investigation a "waste of time," but told a local radio station he had no problem getting everything released while calling the issue a massive energy and time suck at the end of the day ¹.

The pattern is that both parties now treat the Epstein files as a last-week weapon. According to data from the tracker AdImpact cited by NBC News, more than 500 campaign ads airing nationwide include the words "pedophile" or "predator," and three-quarters are backed by Democrats ². That matters because the ads will stop after Tuesday, but if Democrats win control of either chamber they gain power to subpoena witnesses and documents for further Epstein investigations, Vox reported ².

The Record

1. Oct 28, 2026Vox reports more than 500 ads airing nationwide use the words "pedophile" or "predator," three-quarters backed by Democrats ².
2. Oct 31, 2026The Guardian reports CNN found more than $35 million spent on Epstein-related ads and the Washington Post found Democrats spent more than $40 million across six Senate races ¹.

Sources

1. The Guardian, “Ads accusing Republican candidates of protecting Epstein fill airwaves in final midterm push” (2026-10-31). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/31/political-ads-midterms-e
2. Vox, “Republicans have an Epstein problem | Vox” (2026-10-28). vox.com/today-explained-newsletter/507993/2026-midterms-epst

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