House Republican declares victory on Epstein files after Democratic special election win

A huge Democratic win in an Arizona special election Tuesday has been hailed as a major tipping point to releasing the Epstein files by one of President Donald Trump's biggest Republican nemeses.

Democrat Adelita Grijalva's projected win, ABC reports, will narrow the GOP’s thin majority, but that is not at the top of the mind of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who has been relentless in his push for the release of the files of late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Semafor congressional bureau chief Burgess Everett posted on X, "Massie declares victory on Epstein files discharge petition after Arizona special election: 'now we’re going to have 218 signatures and we’re going to force a vote on releasing those files.'"

Grijalva defeated Republican Daniel Butierez 70.6 percent to 27. percent, with 80 percent of the votes counted as of 11:30 p.m. in the special election for Arizona’s 7th congressional district to replace the late Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva, the father of the newly-elected candidate, who served 22 years in Congress before passing away at 77 in March from complications with cancer treatments, ABC reports.

“Rep.-elect Grijalva has also pledged to sign the discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files, bringing Democrats a 218th vote and a bipartisan majority to demand accountability and transparency,” the DNC said in a statement celebrating Grijalva’s victory.