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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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Victory in a special election in Arizona may help Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives push through a vote to release files associated with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Adelita Grijalva won the state's 7th Congressional District Tuesday, narrowing the Republican majority in the House to just five seats. This will make it easier for Democrats to debate issues they are interested in including the publication of documents concerning the activities of Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting sex trafficking charges.
Why It Matters
The Epstein files continue to cause problems for President Donald Trump. Initially, the White House said it would publish names and evidence about Epstein's associates before backtracking in July, causing a backlash.
Read More on Politics
In September, the House Oversight Committee publicly released 33,295 pages of documents related to the disgraced financier including flight logs, court filings and emails.
However, critics are still calling for greater transparency surrounding the case.
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What To Know
Grijalva filled the seat left vacant by her father, Raul Grijalva, who died at the age of 77 in March this year during cancer treatment, having held the seat for more than two decades. The younger Grijalva won the election with 68.6 percent of the vote, according to NBC News. Her Republican rival, Daniel Butierez, got 29.8 percent of the vote share.
Her victory means the Republican's majority in the House will now be 219 to 214, making it easier for Democrats to force a vote on the Epstein files by signing a petition on the matter.
The petition was filed earlier this month by Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie. It calls for a vote on a bill, written by Massie and California Democrat Ro Khanna, which would require the Justice Department to release the Epstein files within 30 days.
The petition has thus far garnered 217 signatures from all 213 House Democrats and four Republicans. It needs 218 to force a floor vote on the issue.
Grijalva and the Democratic Party previously indicated that she would sign it if elected.
What People Are Saying
Grijalva told NBC News in July: "My dad left huge shoes to fill, but I stand on my own two feet."
The Democratic National Committee said in a statement: "Rep.-elect Grijalva has also pledged to sign the discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files, bringing Democrats a 218th vote and a bipartisan majority to demand accountability and transparency."
Massie told reporters: "I'm not really engaged in a massive whipping effort. I just assume we'll get the votes."
What Happens Next
If the bill is passed, it would direct the House Oversight Committee to continue investigating "possible mismanagement of the Federal government's investigation" of the Epstein case.
Meanwhile, Grijalva will join the Congressional Progressive Caucus and serve the rest of her late father's term until the November 2026 midterm elections
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