Five Races Could Determine Party Control of Senate in 2027
This table shows votes cast by five politically endangered U.S. senators on issues related to Jeffrey Epstein. They are Republicans Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine (at left), Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and Jon Husted of Ohio and Democrat Jon Ossoff of Georgia (at right). Their closely contested races in the 2026 midterms will do much to determine which party runs the Senate starting in 2027. Races for open seats in states such as Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina and Texas also will help shape party control of the Senate in 2027.
Dash = Not Yet in Office
Scroll horizontally to view all columns.
| To Confirm Labor Secretary Alex Acosta | To End Debate on Alex Acosta Nomination | To Block Release of Epstein Files | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Sullivan | R | AK | YES | YES | YES |
| Jon Ossoff | D | GA | — | — | NO |
| Susan Collins | R | ME | YES | YES | YES |
| Pete Ricketts | R | NE | — | — | YES |
| Jon Husted | R | OH | — | — | YES |
Issue 1
Senate Confirms Alex Acosta as Secretary of Labor
Voting 60 for and 38 against, the Senate on April 27, 2017, confirmed Alex Acosta as secretary of labor in the first Trump administration. Acosta was later to resign from the cabinet over his lenient handling of a criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein. But his suspicious ties to Epstein were mentioned only once in lengthy debate on the Senate floor on his qualifications to join Trump’s cabinet.
Acosta resigned as labor secretary on July 19, 2018, after his soft prosecutorial treatment of Epstein became a national news story. In 2008, while he served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Acosta approved a sweetheart deal that quashed an imminent federal indictment of Epstein while allowing him to plead guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution from a 14-year-old girl.
A yes vote was to confirm Acosta.
Issue 2
Senate Votes to End Debate on Alex Acosta Nomination
Voting 61 for and 39 against, the Senate on April 26, 2017, invoked cloture (ended debate) on the confirmation of Alex Acosta as secretary of labor in the first Trump administration. Acosta was later to resign from the cabinet amid public furor over his lenient handling of a criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein in 2008 when he was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida. But his ties to Epstein were mentioned by only one senator, California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, in debate on his nomination spread over two days on the Senate floor.
A yes vote was to close debate on the Acosta nomination.
Issue 3
Senate Republicans Block Release of Epstein Files
The Senate on Sept. 10, 2025, voted, 51 for and 49 against, to table (kill) a Democratic amendment adding the Epstein Files Transparency Act to the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (S 2296). At the time of this vote, the transparency bill was buried in the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sponsored the amendment. Republicans Rand Paul of Kentucky and Josh Hawley of Missouri joined all 47 Democrats in support of the amendment and 51 other Republicans voted to kill it.
A yes vote was to block the Epstein Files Transparency Act.