Epstein ties and Les Wexner donations dominate Ohio Senate race

Ohio's U.S. Senate race has turned into a showdown over the legacy of Jeffrey Epstein after billionaire Les Wexner, who employed Epstein as a financial adviser, disclosed about $116,000 in contributions to Republican Sen. Jon Husted from 2001 to 2025. Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown has aired multiple television spots claiming Husted received more money from Wexner than any other sitting member of Congress and that he voted to block the release of Epstein files.

A traveling "Epstein Reading Room" exhibit, containing more than three million Justice Department pages, will land in Ohio on Oct. 7, intensifying public scrutiny. Husted's campaign highlighted his decision to donate all available Wexner funds to an anti-human-trafficking charity and attacked Brown for accepting donations from individuals named in the files, such as Abigail Wexner, Larry Summers and Eric Schmidt. Victims like Annie Farmer argue that candidates with ties to wealthy Epstein associates have incentives to keep the truth hidden, echoing similar controversies in Senate races nationwide.