Key facts
- Democrats' Senate Majority PAC is using ads linking Republicans to Jeffrey Epstein.
- Internal polling of over 4,500 voters found 44% consider the Epstein issue serious and believe Republicans should be held responsible.
- The ads are estimated to shift races by three to six points in Democrats' direction.
- An ad targets Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) over alleged donations and votes related to the Epstein files.
- Sullivan's campaign called the ad a "shameful attack" and "misleading."
Democrats' top Senate super PAC is employing advertising campaigns that target Republican candidates by linking them to Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. This strategy is supported by internal polling data from Senate Majority PAC, conducted by the Democratic firm Blue Rose Research. The research, which surveyed over 4,500 voters, indicated that a 44% plurality of respondents, including the same percentage of swing voters, view the Epstein issue as serious and believe Republicans should be held accountable.
While affordability remains a dominant campaign issue, state-level research by the PAC suggests that these Epstein-focused ads can influence election outcomes, potentially shifting races by three to six percentage points in favor of Democrats. The PAC's latest advertisement specifically targets Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska. The ad claims Sullivan accepted thousands of dollars from "Epstein Associates" and voted against an amendment that would have compelled the release of the Epstein files, even after allegations of underage sexual abuse were known. The ad references an $8,500 donation Sullivan received from billionaire Henry Kravis, whose name is in the Epstein files, though he has not been accused of wrongdoing. A spokesperson for Senator Sullivan's campaign, Nate Adams, described the ad as a "shameful attack" that has been deemed "misleading by independent fact-checkers."