Billionaire’s political contributions make the Epstein files a focus of Ohio’s US Senate race

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Billionaire Les Wexner has long been a magnet for political campaigns seeking contributions – especially in his native Ohio, where the retail tycoon directed a generous portion of his giving to candidates from both parties.

Key points

• Wexner, who has disavowed his prior association with Epstein, contributed regarding $116, 000 to backing Republican Sen.
• While that's just a sliver of Husted's prolific fundraising, his opponent in this year's race, former Democratic Sen.
• When a traveling display showcasing the Justice Department files comes to the state, epstein's Ohio connections are projected to surface anew early next month.
• Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, was Wexner's former financial adviser.

Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, was Wexner's former financial adviser. That relationship and Wexner's history of political donations has figured prominently in Ohio's U.S. Senate race, which could end up as the most expensive in the country this year.

Wexner, who has disavowed his prior association with Epstein, contributed regarding $116, 000 to backing Republican Sen. Jon Husted from 2001 to 2025, mostly during the two decades he spent in state politics before being appointed to fill Vice President JD Vance's seat last year.

While that's just a sliver of Husted's prolific fundraising, his opponent in this year's race, former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, is turning it into a campaign cudgel. He's run at least three different television commercials pounding Husted for receiving more funds from Wexner than any other current member of Congress.

"We want to show these elected officials and the candidates that the public is interested in this topic, and the public is demanding justice for survivors and the public is demanding accountability, no matter how rich and powerful the perpetrators and enablers of these crimes are, " remarked David Garrett, executive director of the Institute for Primary Facts, the nonprofit that created the exhibit.

Taken together, the developments around billionaires political contributions make the Epstein files a focus of Ohios US point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.