Tuesday’s special election in Arizona set to deliver a decisive US House vote for Epstein files release

By Molly English, CNN

(CNN) — A special election in Arizona on Tuesday is expected to deliver the decisive signature to the push for a vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein case files.

The race in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District will determine who will fill the seat vacated by the late Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva, who died from cancer in March. Grijalva’s daughter, Adelita Grijalva, is looking to follow in her father’s footsteps. She is heavily favored against Republican Daniel Butierez, who ran for the seat against the elder Grijalva in 2024, losing the race by 26 points.

A discharge petition circulated by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, needs 218 House members to sign on to force leadership to hold a vote to release the Epstein files. The pair notched their 217th signature earlier this month when Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw, fresh off winning a special election in Virginia’s 11th District, was sworn in and signed the petition.

Both Grijalva and Butierez told the Arizona Daily Star last week they were committed to signing the Epstein petition if elected. In a statement to CNN, Grijalva said the issue “has definitely come up” on the campaign trail.

“We are hearing from voters that they believe the survivors deserve justice, and Congress must fulfill its duty to check the executive branch and hold Trump accountable,” she said in the statement.

It’s a vote House GOP leaders have tried to avoid for months. Speaker Mike Johnson adjourned the House a day early in July before Congress’ month-long summer recess to avoid votes related to the files.

Speaking to CNN at the Capitol last week, Massie said he thought the House could vote as soon as mid-October on his Epstein bill, citing the Arizona special election as the catalyst for the 218th signature.

Once securing the needed signatures, Massie has to wait at least seven legislative days before bringing the bill to the floor, and House leaders can also take up to two legislative days before they put it to a vote.

The House is out of session this week, delaying any immediate trigger of the legislative calendar.

Discharge petitions historically have a bad track record of actually forcing a vote on the floor, mostly because lawmakers in the majority are wary of taking a stand against leadership. The Epstein issue, however, has animated some Republican members, with Trump allies like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Nancy Mace of South Carolina signing onto the petition.

While few Republicans have backed the effort to force a vote, a number have have expressed support for the underlying bill. Still, it would face an uphill battle in the Senate if it cleared the House.

After the Arizona seat is filled, there will be two vacancies in the House due to Texas Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner’s death in March and Tennessee Republican Rep. Mark Green’s departure in July. An all-party primary for Turner’s seat is scheduled for November 4, but it could require a runoff, and the election for Green’s seat will be held December 2.

Although another potential Democratic win would further chip away at Johnson’s thin 219-213 majority, it would not change the fact that he currently can only afford to lose two Republicans on party-line votes with full attendance.

Arizona’s 7th District, which stretches along the state’s southern border with Mexico and includes parts of Tucson and the Phoenix area, is solidly Democratic and voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris by more than 22 percentage points in November.

Grijalva won the Democratic primary in July over a field that included former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez and 25-year-old activist Deja Foxx.

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CNN’s Ethan Cohen, Ellis Kim and Manu Raju contributed to this report.