Pa.’s richest man, Jeff Yass, is spending millions to elect the Republican AG candidate in November

A political action committee primarily funded by Pennsylvania’s richest man has put its thumb on the scale of the race for the state’s next attorney general, in hopes of electing the Republican candidate.

Almost half of Republicans’ expected ad buys — totaling approximately $6 million — in the state are from the Commonwealth Leaders Fund, a PAC primarily funded by Jeff Yass, to support Republican nominee Dave Sunday, the York County district attorney, against Democrat Eugene DePasquale, a former state auditor general.

As of last week, Republicans were set to more than double Democrats’ spending on TV and streaming advertisements, with GOP political action committees reserving more than $13 million through November to Democrats’ $5 million in reservations.

Yass, of Lower Merion Township, is a billionaire school choice advocate who often gives to Republican candidates. The cofounder of Susquehanna International Group, one of Wall Street’s biggest trading firms, Yass has an estimated net worth of $49.6 billion, according to Forbes.

The Commonwealth Leaders Fund largely sat out the 2020 attorney general race, when then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro was running for reelection. Shapiro, a Democrat, was elected governor in 2022 and appointed Republican Michelle Henry to fulfill the remainder of his term. After switching parties, Henry chose not to run for a full term.

Both Democrats and Republicans in Pennsylvania have targeted the open seat for the powerful attorney general position as a must-win race.

The early ad buys by the PAC supporting Sunday gave DePasquale’s campaign fodder to claim Yass was trying to “buy the Office of the Attorney General for Dave Sunday,” DePasquale’s campaign manager, Carver Murphy, said in a statement.

“We have deep concerns about a campaign solely funded by one person: what are the expectations of that candidate if they’re elected, when does the debt come due, why does an allegedly education focused advocacy group plan to invest millions into the Attorney General’s office, for starters,” Murphy added.

Yass is not the sole funder of Sunday’s campaign. He had not given directly to Sunday as of May, but the Commonwealth Leaders Fund is spending significant money on his behalf. Campaign finance reports covering direct contributions to candidates since May will not be published until Sept. 24.

Ben Wren, a spokesperson for Sunday’s campaign, said in a statement that Sunday has not met Yass but appreciates the support from the Commonwealth Leaders Fund, as well as others who are supporting his campaign.

“Dave Sunday welcomes support from any individual and group that is willing to fight for accountability and redemption in the criminal justice system,” Wren said.

The attorney general is the state’s top prosecutor, with wide-ranging powers to represent the state’s interests nationally in civil court in lawsuits against both the federal government and major corporations. Plus, the winner will be a top contender for governor in future years, as two of the last three governors previously served as attorney general.

State attorneys general have played an increasingly important role in national politics in recent years. GOP attorneys general have thwarted President Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan and other policies, while Democratic attorney generals, including Shapiro, led the legal fight against former President Donald Trump during his presidency.

Both Sunday and DePasquale have the backing of their parties’ national association of attorneys general, which has deep pockets and a geographic reach that can make or break an election. The Republican Attorneys General Association has already set aside approximately $6 million to support Sunday.

» READ MORE: Who is Jeff Yass, Pennsylvania’s Republican megadonor and TikTok investor?

The Commonwealth Leaders Fund’s leader and conservative waymaker, Matt Brouillette, told Philadelphia Magazine in mid-June that he and Yass would talk soon to decide whom they’d want to elect in November. The ad reservations show they have decided to back Sunday as one of their top races in November.

Representatives for Yass did not return requests for comment.

Brouillette did not directly answer a question from The Inquirer about the PAC’s support for Sunday, but instead in a statement attacked campaign donations to “the Left” from unions for government employees, which he claimed “go completely un-investigated.”

DePasquale has been endorsed by more than a dozen labor unions, including those that represent government employees, such as AFSCME District Council 13 and the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

Sunday’s campaign has already been on TV for several weeks, trying to bolster his name recognition in the state and set himself apart as having a tough-on-crime policy position. Wren said it was a “no brainer” to get on TV early to tell voters “about his record as district attorney lowering crime and communities as soon as possible.”

DePasquale, the Democratic nominee, launched his first TV ad last week, in which a handful of law enforcement officers talk about his accomplishments as the state auditor general.

The Democratic Attorneys General Association made an initial contribution of $1.5 million directly to DePasquale’s campaign, and its executive director, Sean Rankin, said in a statement that “Pennsylvanians across the state will hear Eugene’s message and choose him this November.”