Dave Yost

American politician and lawyer (born 1956)

For persons of a similar name, see David Yost (disambiguation). For the actor, see David Yost.

Dave Yost

Yost in 2019

51st Attorney General of Ohio

Incumbent

Assumed office
January 14, 2019
Governor| Mike DeWine
Preceded by| Mike DeWine
32nd Auditor of Ohio
In office
January 10, 2011 – January 12, 2019
Governor| John Kasich
Preceded by| Mary Taylor
Succeeded by| Keith Faber
Personal details
Born|

David Anthony Yost

(1956-12-22) December 22, 1956 (age 68)
Political party| Republican
Spouse| Darlene Yost
Children| 3
Education| Ohio State University (BA)
Capital University (JD)
Signature|

David Anthony Yost (born December 22, 1956)[1] is an American politician and lawyer who has served as the 51st attorney general of Ohio since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Yost previously served as the state auditor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019.

During his tenure as Attorney General, he supported attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which was won by Joe Biden. He has played a key role in defending an Ohio abortion law that prohibits abortion six weeks into a pregnancy (before many women know they are pregnant) without exceptions for rape or incest.[2] In 2022, he was involved in a public controversy over a child rape victim who traveled from Ohio to Indiana to get an abortion to avoid carrying the rapist's child.[3]

## Education and early career

[edit]

Yost graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism. He earned a Juris Doctor from the Capital University Law School.[4] After earning his bachelor's degree, Yost became a journalist with the Columbus Citizen-Journal.[5]

## Political career

[edit]

Yost later served in senior positions within the administration of Columbus mayor Buck Rinehart and governor George Voinovich.[6] Yost was appointed Delaware County Auditor in 1999.[7] In 2003, he became the Delaware County Prosecutor.[8] He was elected Ohio's 32nd state auditor in November 2010, after earlier vying for the Republican nomination for Ohio attorney general against Mike DeWine.[9] In January 2017, Yost announced he was running for Ohio Attorney General in 2018.[10]

## Ohio Attorney General (2019–present)

[edit]

Yost defeated his Democratic opponent Steve Dettelbach, who previously served as the United States attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, in the 2018 Ohio Attorney General election.[11] In the 2022 election, Yost was re-elected to his position over Democratic candidate Jeffrey Crossman, a member of the Ohio House from Parma.[11][12]

### Abortion ban

[edit]

Following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, Yost filed a successful motion to dissolve the injunction on Ohio's six-week abortion ban.[13] On June 24, 2022, Yost tweeted that "The Heartbeat Bill is now the law." He released a video statement on YouTube the same day in which he said, "This decision returns abortion policy to the place it has always belonged: to the elected policies branches of the governments."[14]

Yost's son and daughter-in-law publicly criticized his actions in messages on Facebook on June 24 and 25, the former saying, "[T]he lack of pro choice is blatantly against what this country says it is on its banners and documents. The land of the free doesn't seem so free right now."[15]

On June 30, 2022, shortly after the ban became effective, a 10-year-old rape victim who was "six weeks and three days" pregnant traveled from the Columbus area to Indianapolis, Indiana, to get an abortion to avoid carrying her rapist's child.[16][17][18] The incident was widely reported, beginning with an article in the Indianapolis Star newspaper on July 1, and was mentioned by President Joe Biden on July 8 in comments at the White House.[19] On July 11, Yost disputed the report, saying that neither his office or the state crime lab had any information on the matter, and that his staff had heard "not a whisper" about it; in an interview on July 12, Yost said it was "more likely that this is a fabrication".[20] That day, the report was confirmed by the Columbus Division of Police and a rape suspect was arrested.[21]

On July 14, Yost's office shared a backgrounder with media and on Twitter[22] which listed specific exceptions contained in Ohio's "Heartbeat Law", and suggested, as had Yost in interviews on July 11, that the 10-year-old girl would have been able to obtain a legal abortion under those exceptions. The Ohio Legislative Commission said that nothing in the language of the law explicitly includes the age of the person seeking an abortion as a qualification for exception, and that it was unclear whether the girl would have qualified for a legal abortion.[3][23] The following week, Yost rejected calls from the chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party and others for his resignation.[24]

### Attempt to invalidate 2020 presidential election results

[edit]

After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, Yost filed a "friend-of-the-court" brief in support of the Trump campaign's attempt to invalidate ballots cast in Pennsylvania.[25][26] However, in December 2020, Yost opposed a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton which sought to subvert the presidential election results and prevent Biden from being certified as the winner.[27]

### Death Penalty

[edit]

Yost supports the Death Penalty, In 2024 Yost supported moves to add nitrogen gas as a new method of execution aside from lethal injection.[28][29][30]

### 2023 East Palestine train derailment

[edit]

In mid-March 2023, about five weeks after the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Yost announced a 58-count civil damages lawsuit against Norfolk Southern for its "glaring negligence" and prioritizing profits over communities' safety.[31][32]

### Social media antitrust investigation

[edit]

In September 2019, Yost was one out of nine state attorneys general that launched an antitrust investigation into Facebook and Google, to investigate whether or not they were stifling competition in their respective fields.[33][34]

### Voting laws

[edit]

Yost was sued by a coalition of civil rights groups, including the A. Philip Randolph Institute, the state NAACP chapter, and the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, in February 2024 after his second rejection of a petition for a proposed constitutional amendment, entitled the Ohio Voters Bill of Rights, that would appear on the ballot in the 2024 elections. The amendment would introduce the automatic registration of voters, discard recent additions to voter identification requirements, and increase ballot drop boxes. After rejecting the first petition in December 2023, Yost's office rejected it for a second time the following month, finding that the amendment's title was "highly misleading and misrepresentative" of its content.[35][36]

### Refusal to permit Joe Biden on the 2024 ballot

[edit]

In 2024, Yost refused to grant provisional approval for placing Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee on Ohio ballots for the 2024 presidential election. Ohio is one of few states in the United States that has a ballot certification deadline prior to the Democratic National Convention. In 2020, both the Republican and Democratic national conventions were after the ballot certification deadline, but lawmakers provided provisional approval for the candidates to be on the ballot.[37]

## 2026 Ohio gubernatorial campaign

[edit]

Main article: 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election

On January 23, 2025, Yost announced that he would run for governor of Ohio in the 2026 election, seeking to succeed term-limited governor Mike DeWine.[38] In May 2025, after the Ohio Republican Party endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy, Yost withdrew from the race and endorsed Ramaswamy.[39]

## Personal life

[edit]

Yost and his wife Darlene live in Franklin County, Ohio. They have three children and four grandchildren.[40]

Yost and Republican lawmaker Kevin D. Miller were the targets of swatting phone calls in December 2023 after false reports of shootings at their homes were made to the police.[41]

## Electoral history

[edit]

Ohio Auditor Republican Primary Election, 2010

Party | Candidate | Votes | %
Republican  | Dave Yost | 457,820  | 64.88
Republican  | Seth Morgan  | 247,848  | 35.12
Ohio Auditor Election, 2010

Party | Candidate | Votes | %
Republican  | Dave Yost | 1,882,010  | 50.22
Democratic  | David Pepper | 1,683,330  | 44.91
Libertarian  | Michael Howard  | 182,534  | 4.87
Ohio Auditor Election, 2014

Party | Candidate | Votes | %
Republican  | Dave Yost (inc.) | 1,711,927  | 56.98
Democratic  | John Patrick Carney | 1,149,305  | 38.25
Libertarian  | Bob Bridges  | 143,363  | 4.77
Ohio Attorney General Election, 2018

Party | Candidate | Votes | %
Republican  | Dave Yost | 2,272,440  | 52.16
Democratic  | Steve Dettelbach | 2,084,593  | 47.84
Ohio Attorney General Election, 2022

Party | Candidate | Votes | %
Republican  | Dave Yost | 2,484,753  | 60.1
Democratic  | Jeffrey Crossman | 1,647,644  | 39.9

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Dave Yost". Legistorm. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
2. ^ Tebben, Susan (March 5, 2024). "Clinics ask court to declare Ohio six-week abortion ban unconstitutional after amendment passage • Ohio Capital Journal". Ohio Capital Journal.
3. ^ a b Blake, Aaron (July 14, 2022). "What Ohio abortion law says about a 10-year-old rape victim". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022.
4. ^ "StackPath". fedsoc.org. Federalist Society. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
5. ^ "About". Dave Yost. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
6. ^ "Editorial: For Ohio attorney general: Dave Yost is the better choice". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
7. ^ "Ohio Auditor Dave Yost Lincoln Day Dinner Speaker in Cambridge". Daily Jeffersonian. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
8. ^ Naymik, Mark (January 25, 2010). "Delaware County Prosecutor David Yost leaves Ohio attorney general race for auditor's race". Cleveland Plain Dealer.
9. ^ "Republican David Yost defeats Pepper for Ohio auditor". Toledoblade.com. Toledo Blade. March 11, 2010. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
10. ^ Gomez, Henry J. (January 24, 2017). "Ohio Auditor Dave Yost launches attorney general bid". Cleveland.com.
11. ^ a b Bischoff, Laura A. (October 10, 2022). "Election 2022: Jeff Crossman, Dave Yost face off for Ohio attorney general". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
12. ^ Bischoff, Laura A. (November 8, 2022). "Republican Dave Yost wins Ohio attorney general race". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
13. ^ "Ohio's six-week abortion ban becomes law hours after Supreme Court's Dobbs decision". Dispatch.com.
14. ^ "Ohio AG says 'heartbeat bill' is now law". News5cleveland.com. June 24, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
15. ^ Hancock, Laura (June 27, 2022). "Ohio GOP Attorney General's son, daughter-in-law publicly split with Dave Yost on abortion rights". Cleveland.com. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
16. ^ Rudavsky, Shari; Fradette, Rachel (July 1, 2022). "Patients head to Indiana for abortion services as other states restrict care". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
17. ^ ""She's 10": Child rape victim's abortion denial sparks outrage on Twitter". Newsweek. July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
18. ^ Glenn Kessler (July 9, 2022). "A one-source story about a 10-year-old and an abortion goes viral". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
19. ^ Mariana Alfaro (July 9, 2022) [2022-07-08]. "Biden decries case of 10-year-old rape victim forced to travel for abortion". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.[please check these dates]
20. ^ Richardson, Valerie (July 11, 2022). "Ohio AG casts doubt on report of 10-year-old rape victim seeking abortion". The Washington Times.
21. ^ Timothy Bella (July 13, 2022) [2022-07-13]. "Man charged in rape of 10-year-old girl who had to travel for abortion". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409. Archived from the original on July 13, 2022.
22. ^ "The Ohio Attorney General's Office issued the following legal explainer regarding exemptions to Ohio's Heartbeat Law". Twitter.com. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
23. ^ Staver, Anna; BeMiller (July 14, 2022). "Do 10-year-olds meet 'life of mother' abortion exemptions? Ohio lawmakers, doctors divided". The Columbus Dispatch.
24. ^ Bischoff, Laura (July 19, 2022). "Ohio AG Dave Yost should resign over comments about 10-year-old rape victim, Democrats say". The Columbus Dispatch.
25. ^ "GOP-led states back Trump's legal drive to challenge election". POLITICO. November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
26. ^ Richardson, Seth A. (November 10, 2020). "Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost signs off on Trump lawsuit that Pennsylvania should invalidate some votes: Capitol Letter". Cleveland.com. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
27. ^ Pelzer, Jeremy; clevel; .com (December 10, 2020). "Ohio AG Dave Yost files brief criticizing Texas' lawsuit challenging Biden win". cleveland. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
28. ^ "After Alabama pioneers nitrogen gas execution, Ohio may be poised to follow". AP News. January 30, 2024.
29. ^ "States Where the Death Penalty Has Stalled Look to Alabama". The New York Times. January 30, 2024.
30. ^ "After Alabama execution, Ohio Republicans push to allow nitrogen gas for death penalty". USA Today. January 30, 2024.
31. ^ "Ohio Attorney General Yost sues Norfolk Southern over East Palestine train derailment". Ohio Capital Journal. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
32. ^ "Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost sues Norfolk Southern over all the damage from the derailment: Today in Ohio". MSN. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
33. ^ Ingles, Jo (September 18, 2019). "Ohio Lawmakers Support Yost in Investigation of Facebook and Google". Wksu.org. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
34. ^ "State Attorneys General Want To Know If Facebook And Google Are Too Big". NPR.org. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
35. ^ BeMiller, Haley (February 2, 2024). "Advocates sue Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost after he rejected voting rights proposal". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
36. ^ Smyth, Julie Carr (February 2, 2024). "Ohio Attorney General given until Monday to explain rejection of voting rights amendment to court". Columbus, Ohio: Associated Press. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
37. ^ "Ohio GOP leaders reject Democrats' plan to get President Joe Biden on November ballot". USA TODAY. 2024.
38. ^ Vakil, Caroline (January 23, 2025). "Ohio AG Dave Yost launches bid for governor". The Hill. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
39. ^ Jordan, Felicia (May 16, 2025). "'I am simply not that important' | AG Dave Yost suspends his campaign to be Ohio's governor". WCPO-TV. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
40. ^ "Dave Yost - Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost". Ohio Attorney General. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
41. ^ Jordan, Felicia (December 29, 2023). "'Swatting' call reporting shooting draws police to homes of Ohio lawmaker, AG Dave Yost". WCPO 9 Cincinnati. Retrieved December 30, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Appearances on C-SPAN

Party political offices

Preceded by

Mary Taylor

|  Republican nominee for Auditor of Ohio
2010, 2014  | Succeeded by

Keith Faber

Preceded by

Mike DeWine

|  Republican nominee for Attorney General of Ohio
2018, 2022 | Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by

Mary Taylor

|  Auditor of Ohio
2011–2019  | Succeeded by

Keith Faber

Legal offices
Preceded by

Mike DeWine

|  Attorney General of Ohio
2019–present  | Incumbent

* v
* t
* e

Statewide political officials of Ohio

U.S. senators|

* Bernie Moreno
* Jon Husted

State government|

* Mike DeWine, Governor
* Jim Tressel, Lieutenant Governor
* Frank LaRose, Secretary of State
* Dave Yost, Attorney General
* Keith Faber, Auditor
* Robert Sprague, Treasurer

Senate|

* Rob McColley, President
* Bill Reineke, President pro tempore
* Theresa Gavarone, Majority Leader
* Nickie Antonio, Minority Leader

House|

* Matt Huffman, Speaker
* Gayle Manning, Speaker pro tempore
* Marilyn John, Majority Leader
* Dani Isaacsohn, Minority Leader

Supreme Court|

* Sharon L. Kennedy, Chief Justice
* Pat Fischer
* Pat DeWine
* Jennifer Brunner
* Joe Deters
* Daniel R. Hawkins
* Megan E. Shanahan, Associate Justices

* v
* t
* e

Attorneys general of the United States

United States Attorney General: ▌Pam Bondi (R)

▌Steve Marshall (R)

▌Treg Taylor (R)

▌Kris Mayes (D)

▌Tim Griffin (R)

▌Rob Bonta (D)

▌Phil Weiser (D)

▌William Tong (D)

▌Kathy Jennings (D)

▌James Uthmeier (R)

▌Christopher M. Carr (R)

▌Anne E. Lopez (D)

▌Raúl Labrador (R)

▌Kwame Raoul (D)

▌Todd Rokita (R)

▌Brenna Bird (R)

▌Kris Kobach (R)

▌Russell Coleman (R)

▌Liz Murrill (R)

▌Aaron Frey (D)

▌Anthony Brown (D)

▌Andrea Campbell (D)

▌Dana Nessel (D)

▌Keith Ellison (DFL)

▌Lynn Fitch (R)

▌Andrew Bailey (R)

▌Austin Knudsen (R)

▌Mike Hilgers (R)

▌Aaron Ford (D)

▌John Formella (R)

▌Matt Platkin (D)

▌Raúl Torrez (D)

▌Letitia James (D)

▌Jeff Jackson (D)

▌Drew Wrigley (R)

▌Dave Yost (R)

▌Gentner Drummond (R)

▌Dan Rayfield (D)

▌Dave Sunday (R)

▌Peter Neronha (D)

▌Alan Wilson (R)

▌Marty Jackley (R)

▌Jonathan Skrmetti (R)

▌Ken Paxton (R)

▌Derek Brown (R)

▌Charity Clark (D)

▌Jason Miyares (R)

▌Nick Brown (D)

▌JB McCuskey (R)

▌Josh Kaul (D)

▌Keith G. Kautz (R)

Federal districts:

▌Brian Schwalb (D)

Territories:

▌Gwen Tauiliili-Langkilde

▌Doug Moylan (R)

▌Ed Manibusan (D)

▌Lourdes Gómez

▌Gordon Rhea

Political party affiliations

* ▌29 Republicans (28 states, 1 territory)
* ▌24 Democrats (22 states, 1 territory, 1 district)
* ▌1 New Progressive (1 territory)
* ▌2 Unknown (2 territories)
An asterisk (*) indicates that the officeholder is serving in an acting capacity.
State abbreviations link to position articles.

* v
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Ohio attorneys general

1. Stanbery
2. McCormick
3. Pugh
4. McCook
5. Kimball
6. Wolcott
7. Murray
8. Critchfield
9. Richardson
10. Olds
11. West
12. Pond
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16. Hollingsworth
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18. Kohler
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20. Richards
21. Monnette
22. Sheets
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24. Denman
25. Hogan
26. Turner
27. McGhee
28. Price
29. Crabbe
30. Turner
31. Bettman
32. Bricker
33. Duffy
34. Herbert
35. Jenkins
36. Duffy
37. O'Neill
38. Saxbe
39. McElroy
40. Saxbe
41. Brown, P.
42. Brown, W.
43. Celebrezze
44. Fisher
45. Montgomery
46. Petro
47. Dann
48. Rogers
49. Cordray
50. DeWine
51. Yost

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