New Tool Launched Ahead of Campaign Finance Deadline Tracks Money from Pennsylvania's Largest Donor, Jeff Yass
“The Yass Tracker shines a spotlight on the dark money influencing Pennsylvania politics.”
PHILADELPHIA — As the deadline for the next campaign finance report approaches, Pennsylvania voters now have access to a powerful new tool created by the All Eyes on Yass campaign, which enables voters to quickly identify if their state legislator or any statewide elected official has taken money from Jeff Yass-funded political action committees (PACs) since 2017. The Yass Tracker is designed to promote transparency in campaign finance by giving voters a clear and easy way to search for and track whether their elected officials have received funds connected to Yass.
EXPLORE THE YASS TRACKER HERE: https://www.alleyesonyass.com/yass-tracker
Aly Shaw, Research Analyst at LittleSis, said:
“The Yass Tracker shines a spotlight on the dark money influencing Pennsylvania politics. For too long, billionaires like Jeff Yass have quietly funneled millions through shadowy PACs, steering our elections from behind the scenes in ways many people may not even be aware of. This tool gives voters the power to pull back the curtain and see who’s really calling the shots in Harrisburg. Now is the time for voters to demand that their elected officials take a stand, reject Yass’ money, and put the people — not billionaires — in charge of Pennsylvania’s future.”
Taylor Enterline, Lancaster Stands Up Organizer, said:
"The tracking tool made me realize the power that one person has over our elected officials, when in reality we the constituents should be the ones who hold that power, not a billionaire. Jeffrey Yass wants to cut taxes for the rich and take money away from public schools. That’s not what we need here, we need someone who will invest in our communities, not hurt them, and Senator Scott Martin should listen to us, not a billionaire campaign donor."
Yass’s Political Spending
Jeff Yass, a billionaire investor, has emerged as the single largest campaign donor in Pennsylvania politics and the second largest donor nationally. Recent analysis from the All Eyes on Yass campaign found that Jeff Yass has spent more on Pennsylvania elections than the top 10 corporate PACs combined, a concerted effort to control key elections and push his personal agenda to privatize public schools and avoid paying taxes. As the public learns more about Yass’ significant influence on state politics, the Yass Tracker also serves as a call to action for elected officials to reject Yass’ money.
Key Takeaways
1 out of every 3 legislators in Pennsylvania has received funding from Yass since 2017. In total, 85 legislators in the House and Senate have accepted campaign contributions from at least one of the many PACs primarily funded by Jeff Yass.
Every single Republican serving on the State Senate Education Committee has received campaign contributions from Yass’s PACs.
Yass’s top recipients in Pennsylvania since 2017 are:
Auditor Gen Timothy DeFoor: $1,536,463
Sen. Kim Ward: $1,018,500
Sen. Scott Martin: $978,065
Sen. Jarrett Coleman: $933,622
Rep. Jordan Harris: $860,000
How the Yass Tracker Works
The Yass Tracker tool compiles campaign finance data from publicly available sources, including filings from the Pennsylvania Department of State and federal databases. The tracker shows seven Yass-affiliated PACs and their total funding of current elected officials at the state level in Pennsylvania since 2017. The seven PACs included in the Tracker receive over 65% of their funding either directly from Jeff Yass or from core Yass-funded PACs. By entering the name of any state or statewide elected official, voters can instantly see if that official has received funds from any of the numerous PACs connected to Jeff Yass.
For more information or to access the Yass Tracker, visit https://www.alleyesonyass.com/yass-tracker.
