Jeff Yass, 68, with an estimated $92.5 billion net worth per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, is again among the GOP's largest financiers this cycle. Nearly $110 million puts him third among individual donors.
His standout recipient is Ohio Republican gubernatorial hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy. Yass has directed $30 million to a pro Ramaswamy super PAC, his largest single political outlay this cycle. Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur backed by Elon Musk and other wealthy supporters including hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, also said his campaign will spend $4 million to promote an ad featuring Democratic rival Amy Acton's birth mother accusing Acton of lying.
A Yass spokesperson tied his Ohio spending to Ramaswamy's push for universal school choice.
Yass's giving this cycle sits just behind packaging billionaires Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, who put at least $138 million into Republican efforts.
Beyond the $30 million for the Ramaswamy super PAC, Yass sent $17.5 million to School Freedom Fund, $16.5 million to Club for Growth Action, $16 million to MAGA Inc., and $12.5 million to Protect Freedom PAC. School Freedom Fund has spent millions in federal and state contests in Texas, Tennessee and other states.
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The through line is concentrated money backing a focused policy agenda. According to Yass, support for school choice is the main reason he gives politically, and in May he urged giving New York parents $21,000 per child in education vouchers and setting aside another $21,000 in an investment account for each student. Add his ByteDance stake and the heavyweight spending from Musk and the Uihleins.
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