According to the most recent campaign finance reports filed with the Ohio Secretary of State, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has raised $2.03 million and spent $211,002 between Jan. 1, 2021 and Jun. 3, 2022. Yost is currently ranked fifth in state-level donations in the 2022 election cycle.
Yost is a member of the Republican Party and assumed office in 2019. In Ohio, the attorney general is an elected position. The primary job of a state attorney general is to serve as chief legal adviser to the agencies and legislative organs that make up his or her state’s government, in addition to the citizens residing within the state. Yost is running for re-election in 2022.
Yost’s reported campaign finance activity, by quarter (2017-2022)
Source: Transparency USA
Contributions to Yost
Of the $1.03 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 50.66 percent came from the top 10 donors.
Top Donors to Yost (1/1/2021 – 6/3/2022)
| Rank | Total Amount | Donor Name | Donor Type |
| 1. | $717,863.84 | Ohio Republican State Central & Executive Committee State Candidate Fund | ENTITY |
| 2. | $198,051.05 | Ohio Republican PAC | ENTITY |
| 3. | $18,700.00 | Keating Muething & Klekamp PAC | ENTITY |
| 4. | $13,980.31 | Mary Ferguson | INDIVIDUAL |
| 5. | $13,750.00 | Summit County Republican Central Committee State Candidate Fund | ENTITY |
| 6. | $13,704.41 | Lee Schear | INDIVIDUAL |
| 7. | $13,700.00 | Audrey Ratner | INDIVIDUAL |
| 8. | $13,700.00 | Drew Dimaccio | INDIVIDUAL |
| 9. | $13,700.00 | Jason S Lucarelli | INDIVIDUAL |
| 10. | $13,000.00 | Gary W James | INDIVIDUAL |
Expenditures by Yost
Yost reported $170,948 in expenditures, with 81.02 percent going to the 10 payees topping this list. “Payees” are entities or individuals listed as the recipients of campaign expenditures, and may include vendors, campaign accounts, and transfers.
Top Expenditures by Yost (1/1/2021 – 6/3/2022)
| Rank | Total Amount | Payee Name | Payee Type |
| 1. | $92,278.13 | Targeted Victory | ENTITY |
| 2. | $27,000.00 | Campaign Mail & Data | ENTITY |
| 3. | $17,888.75 | Winterset CPA Group Inc | ENTITY |
| 4. | $7,361.38 | Printpro & Signs | ENTITY |
| 5. | $7,093.07 | Athletic Club of Columbus | ENTITY |
| 6. | $4,512.85 | Apple.com | ENTITY |
| 7. | $4,358.12 | Winred Technical Services LLC | ENTITY |
| 8. | $3,989.37 | Anedot | ENTITY |
| 9. | $3,412.50 | Right Digital LLC | ENTITY |
| 10. | $3,054.11 | Verizon Wireless | ENTITY |
How donations to Yost compare to the same office in other states
Contributions vary widely among officeholders in the same role. A number of factors, including whether the position is appointed or elected, can influence donor activity. Here is how Yost’s donations compare to the 10 other attorney generals with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022:
Across the U.S., 27 attorney generals are members of the Republican Party and 23 are members of the Democratic Party. Voters elect the attorney general in 43 states, while they are chosen by a state government organ in the other seven. In 2022, 30 states are holding elections for the position.
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Ohio PACs submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date* |
| 2021 Annual | 1/31/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-Primary | 4/21/2022 |
| 2022 Post-Primary* | 6/10/2022 |
| 2022 Semiannual | 7/29/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-General | 10/27/2022 |
| 2022 Post-General | 12/16/2022 |
*Some 2022 Ohio report dates may be subject to change due to rescheduled elections.This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.