DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 29: Texas State Sen Don Huffines speaks at a rally by Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) at Galley's Dallas the day before Super Tuesday February 29, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. Candidates have spread themselves o …
NEW MEXICO - Don Huffines, a former Texas state senator currently campaigning for state comptroller, is facing scrutiny over his family’s 2023 purchase of the New Mexico ranch formerly owned by convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Don Huffines purchased Jeffrey Epstein's ‘Zorro Ranch’
What we know:
According to a spokesperson for Huffines, the family purchased the property, historically known as Zorro Ranch, four years after Epstein’s death. The estate was sold at a public auction, with proceeds designated to benefit Epstein’s victims.
Allen Blakemore, a spokesperson for Huffines, stated that the owners have never been approached by local, state, or federal law enforcement requesting access to the San Rafael Ranch. He added that if and when they do, they will be granted full and complete cooperation.
Blakemore also noted that the family had never visited the property prior to its auction listing.
State representatives say Epstein's New Mexico ranch ‘went largely uninvestigated’
Dig deeper:
The purchase comes as the New Mexico House of Representatives draws attention to the estate's history.
In a recently filed resolution, members claimed Zorro Ranch was an "instrumentality of serious criminal activity" that went largely uninvestigated by state or local officials before statutes of limitations expired.
New Mexico representatives expressed concern that the failure to investigate alleged crimes at the ranch threatens public confidence in state government and the safety of the state.
Who is Don Huffines?
The backstory:
Huffines, a Republican businessman from Dallas, served one term in the Texas Senate before losing his seat in 2018. In 2022, he unsuccessfully challenged Gov. Greg Abbott in the Republican primary, running on a platform that criticized Abbott’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now running for Texas comptroller, Huffines has positioned himself as a "MAGA" Republican with an endorsement from Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
His current campaign platform focuses on running the state government with a business-centric approach, which includes eliminating property taxes, securing the border and ending taxpayer funding for undocumented immigrants. He has also made the removal of "woke ideology" from state government operations a cornerstone of his bid for office.
The Source: Information in this article comes from spokesperson Allen E. Blakemore, the New Mexico State House and previous reporting.