Arizona election could push Epstein files toward a House vote
Southwest Arizona race may determine whether lawmakers sign onto a discharge petition to force DOJ disclosure of Epstein records
An Arizona special election in the southwestern 7th Congressional District could determine whether Democrats gain enough votes to force a floor vote on the release of more Epstein documents. Adelita Grijalva, the daughter of the late Rep. Raul Grijalva, is widely expected to win the race, potentially becoming the 218th signer needed for a discharge petition led by Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna. The petition would compel the Department of Justice to publish all remaining records related to Jeffrey Epstein.
If Grijalva is sworn in early next month, she would join the petition’s signatories and push the measure over the threshold. The petition currently stands at 217 signers, with Massie and Khanna already aboard, and requires half the House to trigger a floor vote. The effort has drawn notable GOP co-sponsors, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace, and Lauren Boebert. The political undercurrents are sharp: President Donald Trump has dismissed the push as a Democratic hoax, while some conservatives in Congress have pressed for more disclosure but prefer to address it outside of this discharge process. The Arizona race is seen as a potential hinge point for whether Epstein-related issues can reenter the legislative agenda.
On the Republican side, Speaker Mike Johnson has signaled that he could block the petition at the House Rules Committee, which he chairs, arguing that the Oversight Committee, led by his ally James Comer, is already pursuing the matter and releasing documents as they come in. Johnson has called the discharge petition a potential distraction and a challenge to the committee’s work, while noting the option to let the process unfold. The question for lawmakers in both parties is whether a public vote would appear to serve accountability or simply become a partisan flashpoint ahead of the next elections.
The Epstein saga has lingered over Capitol Hill after Epstein died in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The dispute over remaining materials has remained a focal point for advocates seeking transparency and for critics who worry about politicizing a long-running case. The timing of Grijalva’s seating could accelerate a floor vote on the matter and alter the calculus for Epstein-related disclosures as Congress heads toward the next election cycle.