Person
Dave Yost
- Work
- Worked as a journalist for the Columbus Citizen-Journal before entering government.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · statenews.org
- Public service
- Held staff positions in the administration of Columbus Mayor Dana "Buck" Rinehart and Ohio Governor George Voinovich.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · statenews.org
- Education
- B.A. in journalism, Ohio State University; J.D., Capital University Law School.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
- Home
- Franklin County, Ohio.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
- $7.8MRaised, as filed · December 31, 2022
- Not yet researchedCash on hand
- 53%Latest poll · Trafalgar Group, August 18, 2022
- 7Positions in their words · 7 issues
- 2Claims checked
- 5Offices held · Attorney General of Ohio, since 2019
10 of 11 sections researched
Not yet researched: Endorsements.
What has been checked
- Profile 11 entries
- On the ballot 0 entries The 2022 race is complete; no pending candidacy is published for it.
- Where they stand 7 entries
- What they have said, checked 2 entries No fact-checker rating of a Yost statement from the 2022 cycle was found in the records checked. Checked: The research archive's 2022-cycle fact-check pass, which searched PolitiFact's personalities archive, FactCheck.org, the Washington Post Fact Checker and AP Fact Check
- Record in office 11 entries
- Money 9 entries Ballotpedia's reported total could not be cross-verified against a primary state filing; the Ohio Secretary of State's search tool and FollowTheMoney.org were both unreachable to the research archive.
- Financial interests 3 entries No net-worth figure or itemized stock holding has been published for Yost; Ohio's disclosure system does not post statements online.
- Polling and approval 3 entries
- Elections 4 entries His 2022 Attorney General candidacy is published.
- Endorsements None found in the records checked The research archive records no endorsement he gave or received in the 2022 cycle in the sources it checked.
- Sources 32 entries
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Section | State |
|---|---|
| profile | researched |
| ballot | researched |
| positions | researched |
| claims | researched |
| record | researched |
| money | researched |
| interests | researched |
| polling | researched |
| elections | researched |
| endorsements | none found |
| sources | researched |
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Chamber | District | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Statewide | All of Ohio | Ohio Attorney General |
On the ballot
None found in the records checked
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Status |
|---|
| None found in the records checked |
Where they stand
Abortion
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Defended and had helped implement Ohio's six-week heartbeat abortion ban and pledged to keep defending Ohio's abortion restrictions in court.
Sources: statenews.org · wosu.org
Drug sentencing
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Opposed State Issue 1, the 2018 ballot measure that would have reclassified low-level drug possession as a misdemeanor and prioritized treatment over incarceration.
Source: ballotpedia.org
Education oversight
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Ran on his office's multi-year investigation into Ohio school districts manipulating student-attendance data to inflate state report-card ratings, including a special audit of Columbus City Schools finding "a top-down culture of data manipulation and employee intimidation."
Source: Press Conference: Special Audit Results of Columbus City School District
Government corruption
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Made enforcement against official misconduct central, pointing to his civil racketeering-style lawsuit against FirstEnergy and Larry Householder over the House Bill 6 nuclear and coal bailout, which his office said would save Ohio ratepayers close to $2 billion over the life of the law.
Source: fox19.com
Government fraud
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Launched the "Ohio Stops Fraud" smartphone app, letting the public report suspected fraud in public offices directly from an iPhone, ahead of the 2014 campaign.
Source: Press Conference: Special Audit Results of Columbus City School District
Government waste and fraud
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Positioned himself as an experienced, non-partisan financial watchdog, citing his record as Delaware County Auditor and Prosecutor, and campaigned on rooting out government waste, fraud and mismanagement of taxpayer money.
Source: Dave Yost
Public corruption
Paraphrase of a linked source, not their words:
Pointed to his auditor's-office record referring the ECOT online charter school for criminal investigation as evidence he would aggressively pursue public corruption and fraud as Attorney General.
Source: ballotpedia.org
What they have said, checked
-
is actually representing the drug companies that have killed our kids
WSYX ABC6 (Columbus) rated this misleading, October 17, 2018 · the check
Our check against the record: The record does not settle it.
-
laid off cops, and closed jails and let criminals run free in the streets
PolitiFact rated this Barely True, September 3, 2010 · the check
Our check against the record: The record does not settle it.
Record in office
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Person | Date | Kind | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yost (R) | 1999 | office | Delaware County Auditor |
| Yost (R) | 2003 | office | Delaware County Prosecutor |
| Yost (R) | 2011 | office | Auditor of State of Ohio |
| Yost (R) | 2019-01 | office | Attorney General of Ohio |
| Yost (R) | 2011-01 | office | Auditor of State of Ohio |
| Yost (R) | 2003 | action | 2003 (action): As Delaware County Prosecutor, won the county's first-ever capital murder case and successfully prosecuted what was described as the largest |
| Yost (R) | 2010-09-03 | statement | 2010-09-03 (statement): His 2010 campaign released a video saying that after Hamilton County's proposed tax increase was voted down, opponent David Pepper "laid off" |
| Yost (R) | 2013-03 | action | 2013-03 (action): Subpoenaed JobsOhio's financial records to audit the roughly $100-228 million a year in liquor profits funding the privatized development ag |
| Yost (R) | 2014-01-28 | action | 2014-01-28 (action): His office's special audit of Columbus City Schools, released January 28, 2014, found a "top-down culture of data manipulation and employee " |
| Yost (R) | 2014-09 | statement | 2014-09 (statement): A Carney campaign TV ad claimed his office spent taxpayer money at a "$7 per cup" rate for roughly 1,000 cups of coffee served at a 2012 fra |
| Yost (R) | 2018 | action | 2018 (action): Accepted at least $29,000 in campaign contributions from ECOT founder Bill Lager and ECOT-affiliated officials while his office had regulato |
| Yost (R) | 2018-05 | action | 2018-05 (action): As Ohio Auditor of State, his office's audit of the online charter school ECOT found it had submitted data inflating student attendance -- o |
| Yost (R) | 2020-08 | action | 2020-08 (action): Negotiated an $808 million settlement with the three largest opioid distributors, Cardinal Health, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, structure |
| Yost (R) | 2021-02-19 | action | 2021-02-19 (action): As attorney general, obtained Ohio's $24.7 million share of a $573 million national settlement with consulting firm McKinsey & Co. over its |
| Yost (R) | 2022-07-12 | statement | 2022-07-12 (statement): Before a suspect was arrested, repeatedly and publicly cast doubt on the case of a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim who had to travel to Indiana |
| Yost (R) | 2023-02-03 | ruling | 2023-02-03 (ruling): Text messages introduced at the February 2023 federal racketeering trial of Larry Householder and lobbyist Matt Borges indicated Yost privat |
-
ruling February 3, 2023
Text messages introduced at the February 2023 federal racketeering trial of Larry Householder and lobbyist Matt Borges indicated Yost privately viewed the House Bill 6 bailout as a bad bill but did not publicly oppose it because of financial and political support he had received from FirstEnergy and Borges; Yost had accepted $24,208 from FirstEnergy and Borges and donated that amount to charity in October 2020 after federal HB6 arrests were made.
Source: ohiocapitaljournal.com
-
statement July 12, 2022
Before a suspect was arrested, repeatedly and publicly cast doubt on the case of a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim who had to travel to Indiana for an abortion because of Ohio's six-week ban; a Columbus man was charged with the rape within about a day of those comments.
Dave Yost, quoted by FOX19:
not a whisper
· the source -
action February 19, 2021
As attorney general, obtained Ohio's $24.7 million share of a $573 million national settlement with consulting firm McKinsey & Co. over its role in fueling the opioid epidemic.
Source: irontontribune.com
-
action August 2020
Negotiated an $808 million settlement with the three largest opioid distributors, Cardinal Health, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, structured so the companies also paid the state's attorney fees on top of the settlement.
Source: wkyc.com
-
action May 2018
As Ohio Auditor of State, his office's audit of the online charter school ECOT found it had submitted data inflating student attendance -- one student was logged with nearly 8,900 instructional hours, more than exist in a year -- and referred the findings to the U.S. Attorney's office and the Franklin County prosecutor for possible criminal charges.
Source: wksu.org
-
action 2018
Accepted at least $29,000 in campaign contributions from ECOT founder Bill Lager and ECOT-affiliated officials while his office had regulatory and audit responsibility over the school; after his office's May 2018 audit, he donated the ECOT-linked contributions to three Ohio charities.
A Democratic state representative, per the research archive's account of 2017 reporting:
Called for Yost to recuse himself from further ECOT-related audit work
· the sourceSource: wosu.org
-
statement September 2014
A Carney campaign TV ad claimed his office spent taxpayer money at a "$7 per cup" rate for roughly 1,000 cups of coffee served at a 2012 fraud-and-waste conference; multiple outlets found the $7,000 figure was Yost's request to the state Controlling Board covering two days of "coffee breaks," not a per-cup price, and that the conference served $3 bottles of soda with the tab covered by registration fees.
Cincinnati CityBeat editorial board, October 29, 2014:
rated false/misleading
· the source -
action January 28, 2014
His office's special audit of Columbus City Schools, released January 28, 2014, found a "top-down culture of data manipulation and employee intimidation," including changing failing grades and improperly withdrawing and re-enrolling low-performing students; findings were referred to city, county and federal prosecutors.
Source: Press Conference: Special Audit Results of Columbus City School District
-
action March 2013
Subpoenaed JobsOhio's financial records to audit the roughly $100-228 million a year in liquor profits funding the privatized development agency; Kasich and the GOP-controlled General Assembly subsequently passed legislation exempting JobsOhio from future state-auditor review.
Source: National Report Criticizes JobsOhio, Other Privatized Agencies
-
statement September 3, 2010
His 2010 campaign released a video saying that after Hamilton County's proposed tax increase was voted down, opponent David Pepper "laid off cops, and closed jails and let criminals run free in the streets," implying Pepper alone was responsible and omitting that the tax was meant to fund public safety.
PolitiFact, September 3, 2010:
Barely True
· the source -
action 2003
As Delaware County Prosecutor, won the county's first-ever capital murder case and successfully prosecuted what was described as the largest drug-trafficking ring to have operated in the county.
Source: Dave Yost
Money
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| From | To | Dollars | Share of total | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raised | Spent | 3,773,284 | 48.2% | |
| Raised | Not in the filed totals (derived) | 4,052,713 | 51.8% | Derived: raised exceeds spent plus cash on hand in this filing; the difference is not itemized in the totals filed. |
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Status |
|---|
| None found in the records checked |
Totals as filed
| Race | Filer | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Attorney General | OhioSOS | $7,825,997 | $3,773,284 | December 31, 2022 | |
| Attorney General of Ohio | OhioSOS | $3,820,823 | $2,285,139 | October 17, 2018 | |
| Auditor of State of Ohio | OhioSOS | $2,340,446 | 2015 |
Source: ballotpedia.org
Source: ballotpedia.org
Source: Ohio down ballot state executive elections, 2014
Top donors, as filed
-
Brian Colleran · $50,000 · campaign committee · In state · Ohio Attorney General
Co-operates Foundations Health Solutions, 57 Ohio nursing homes, with his wife
Source: ohiocapitaljournal.com
-
Lee Schear · $47,000 · campaign committee · In state · Ohio Attorney General
Owner of Dayton-based NCP Finance, operating as 'Cash Max' and similar payday and vehicle-title lending storefronts
Source: ohiocapitaljournal.com
-
American Electric Power PAC · $14,500 · PAC · In state · Attorney General of Ohio
Electric utility
Source: en.wikipedia.org
-
Bruce Soll · $5,000 · campaign committee · In state · Auditor of State of Ohio
Limited Brands general counsel
-
NiSource Inc. PAC · $5,000 · PAC · In state · Attorney General of Ohio
Utility holding company
Source: en.wikipedia.org
-
U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi's campaign · $5,000 · campaign committee · In state · Auditor of State of Ohio
Congressional campaign committee
Outside spending
Financial interests
Disclosed holdings
None found in the records checked.
Disclosed income
None found in the records checked.
Reported conflicts
-
His office's consumer-protection division fielded roughly 50 consumer complaints against donor Lee Schear's NCP Finance describing a debt-trap lending cycle; the October 2022 investigation found no evidence of an enforcement action by Yost's office against NCP despite the complaint volume, and his office did not respond to the reporter's questions about NCP's practices or Schear's contributions.
October 3, 2022 · Reported by Ohio Capital Journal
Source: ohiocapitaljournal.com
-
His office runs Ohio's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, yet accepted roughly $50,000 from Brian Colleran, whose company and Colleran personally had in 2017 paid nearly $20 million to settle federal Medicaid-fraud and anti-kickback allegations; a spokeswoman for Yost replied that contributions never have and never will play a role in his enforcement decisions, without addressing the specific allegations.
April 19, 2021 · Reported by Ohio Capital Journal
Source: ohiocapitaljournal.com
-
Text messages introduced at the 2023 trial showed lobbyist Matt Borges told another lobbyist that Yost privately regarded the 2019 House Bill 6 nuclear and coal-plant bailout as a bad bill but did not publicly oppose it because of support he had received from FirstEnergy, the law's main corporate beneficiary. Yost's 2018 campaign had received utility-industry PAC contributions. Once the bribery scheme became a federal case, Yost sued in September 2020 to block collection of HB6 fees from ratepayers, and in 2024 his office obtained state felony indictments against two former FirstEnergy executives.
February 3, 2023 · Reported by Ohio Capital Journal, citing text messages introduced at the 2023 federal racketeering trial of Larry Householder and Matt Borges
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Net worth, as estimated
None found in the records checked.
Polling and approval
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Field date | Candidate | Share | Poll |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2022 | Dave Yost | 53 | Trafalgar Group |
-
Trafalgar Group · August 18, 2022 · Ohio Attorney General
Crossman 37 · Undecided 10 · Yost 53
Source: en.wikipedia.org
-
Gravis Marketing · November 1, 2018 · Attorney General of Ohio
Dettelbach 36 · Yost 44
likely voters
Source: wosu.org
-
Columbus Dispatch Poll · September 3, 2010 · Auditor of State of Ohio
Pepper 33 · Yost 42
likely voters
Elections
| Race | Party | Result | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Attorney General (2022) | Republican | Won | 2,484,753 | 60.1% |
| Attorney General of Ohio (2018) | Republican | Won | 2,276,414 | 52.2% |
| Auditor of State of Ohio (2014) | Republican | Won | 1,711,927 | 57.0% |
| Auditor of State of Ohio (2010) | Republican | Won | 1,882,010 | 50.2% |
Offices held
Delaware County Auditor · 1999 to 2003 · elected
Source: ballotpedia.org
Delaware County Prosecutor · 2003 to 2011 · elected
Source: ballotpedia.org
Auditor of State of Ohio · 2011 to 2019 · elected
Source: ballotpedia.org
Attorney General of Ohio · 2019-01 to present · elected
Source: ballotpedia.org
Auditor of State of Ohio · 2011-01 to 2019-01 · elected
Source: Dave Yost
Endorsements
None found in the records checked
Sources
Data from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0: 2022 Ohio Attorney General election · Dave Yost · 2022 Ohio elections · 2018 Ohio Attorney General election · Ohio FirstEnergy bribery scandal · 2014 Ohio State Auditor election · 2010 Ohio State Auditor election
Every URL on this page, once each.
- Dave Yost · Ballotpedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio Attorney General election, 2022 · Ballotpedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- 2022 Ohio Attorney General election · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Dave Yost · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- 2022 Ohio elections · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio Election 2022: Dave Yost and Jeff Crossman run for Ohio Attorney General · The Statehouse News Bureau · 2022-10-19 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Abortion and corruption at forefront of Ohio attorney general race · WOSU Public Media · 2022-10-19 · accessed 2026-09-19
- 'Not a whisper' of evidence to show 10-year-old Ohio rape victim got abortion in Indiana: AG Yost tells FOX News · FOX19 Cincinnati · 2022-07-12 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Some media outlets backtrack as authorities confirm story about 10-year-old rape victim who sought abortion · CNN Business · 2022-07-14 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Corruption trial texts: OH AG Yost didn't speak out against bailout because of utility support · Ohio Capital Journal · 2023-02-03 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Attorney general saves Ohioans nearly $2B over life of HB6 · FOX19/AP · 2021-09-24 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announces $808 million opioid settlement agreement · WKYC · 2020-08 · accessed 2026-09-19
- AG Yost reaches $24.7M settlement with consultant that fueled opioid epidemic · The Ironton Tribune · 2021-02-19 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Dayton-based payday lender continues to bury customers in debt · Ohio Capital Journal · 2022-10-03 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Nursing homes spent at least $6 million on Ohio politics in five years · Ohio Capital Journal · 2021-04-19 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio Attorney General election, 2018 · Ballotpedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- 2018 Ohio Attorney General election · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio Auditor Turns ECOT Findings over for Criminal Investigation · WKSU · 2018-05-10 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Dave Yost Wants To Remain Part Of ECOT Case. Is That A Conflict Of Interest? · WOSU Public Media · 2018-05-30 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Boggs calls for Yost's recusal from ECOT probes · The Columbus Dispatch · 2017-07-11 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio FirstEnergy bribery scandal · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio's Attorney General Race All About ECOT And Opioids · WOSU Public Media · 2018-10-31 · accessed 2026-09-19
- 2014 Ohio State Auditor election · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- Press Conference: Special Audit Results of Columbus City School District · Ohio Auditor of State · 2014-01-28 · accessed 2026-09-19
- National Report Criticizes JobsOhio, Other Privatized Agencies · Cincinnati CityBeat · 2013-10-23 · accessed 2026-09-19
- CityBeat: No Endorsement for Ohio Auditor · Cincinnati CityBeat · 2014-10-29 · accessed 2026-09-19
- GOP campaign bankroll dwarfs Democrats in Ohio · The Columbus Dispatch · 2014-10-23 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Ohio down ballot state executive elections, 2014 · Ballotpedia · accessed 2026-09-19
- 2010 Ohio State Auditor election · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-21
- https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2026-05-25/yost-reflects-on-25-years-in-ohio-politics-and-race-for-governor-that-wasnt-meant-to-be
- Republican Dave Yost attacks Democratic David Pepper on taxes and public safety in race for Ohio auditor · PolitiFact · 2010-09-03 · accessed 2026-09-21
- Fact-checking ads in the race for Ohio attorney general · WSYX ABC6 (Columbus) · 2018-10-17 · accessed 2026-09-19
- Audit search · Ohio Auditor of State · accessed 2026-10-15
Cite and data
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Dave Yost", https://crackedbuckeye.com/people/dave-yost/, built 2026-11-03, accessed [date].
How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-11-03