Dave Yost

Dave Yost
Born	David Anthony Yost 22 12, 1956
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, lawyer
Education	Ohio State University (BA) Capital University (JD)
Spouse(s)	Darlene Yost
Children	3

David Anthony Yost (born December 22, 1956) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 51st Attorney General of Ohio since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Yost previously served as the 32nd Auditor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. Before entering statewide office, he served as the Delaware County prosecutor. As Attorney General, Yost has been involved in a number of high-profile legal actions, including a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern following the East Palestine train derailment in 2023, efforts to defend Ohio's restrictive abortion legislation, participation in multistate investigations into major technology companies such as Facebook and Google, and a 2026 federal antitrust lawsuit against OhioHealth. His tenure has also drawn national attention for his involvement in a controversy surrounding a ten-year-old rape victim who was forced to travel out of state to obtain an abortion. Yost has also been noted for his support of attempts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election. In Ohio Republican politics, Yost has been a prominent voice, including publicly disagreeing with the state party's endorsement of Vivek Ramaswamy in the 2026 gubernatorial race.

Early Life

David Anthony Yost was born on December 22, 1956. He grew up in Ohio and pursued a career in law and public service from an early age. Details regarding his parents, siblings, and childhood upbringing are limited in publicly available records. Yost has long been associated with Delaware County, Ohio, where he established himself as a legal professional and later as a county prosecutor before ascending to statewide office.

Education

Yost attended Ohio State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He subsequently obtained his Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. His legal education at Capital University, a private institution in the Columbus metropolitan area, prepared him for a career in prosecution and public law. Yost has also been identified as a contributor to the Federalist Society, a conservative and libertarian legal organization.

Career

Delaware County Prosecutor

Prior to holding statewide office, Yost served as the prosecuting attorney for Delaware County, Ohio. In this role, he handled criminal cases on behalf of the county and built a reputation as a law-and-order prosecutor. His work in Delaware County drew attention from the state Republican Party and positioned him as a candidate for higher office. During his time as county prosecutor, Yost became involved in local Republican politics and was a frequent speaker at party events across the state, including Lincoln Day Dinner gatherings.

Ohio State Auditor (2011–2019)

Yost was elected as the 32nd Auditor of Ohio in the November 2010 general election, succeeding Mary Taylor, who had been elected Lieutenant Governor. He assumed office on January 10, 2011, serving under Governor John Kasich.

As State Auditor, Yost was responsible for auditing all public offices in Ohio, including state agencies, counties, cities, villages, townships, school districts, and other governmental entities. The Ohio Auditor's office is one of the largest audit operations in the United States, given the scope of governmental entities in the state. Yost served two full terms as Auditor, from 2011 to 2019, before seeking and winning the office of Attorney General.

The Columbus Dispatch endorsed Yost during his 2018 campaign for Attorney General, describing him as "the better choice" for the position based on his record as Auditor.

Attorney General of Ohio (2019–present)

Yost took office as the 51st Attorney General of Ohio on January 14, 2019, succeeding Mike DeWine, who had been elected Governor of Ohio. As Attorney General, Yost serves as the chief legal officer of the state, representing Ohio in legal matters and overseeing the enforcement of state consumer protection, antitrust, and criminal laws.

Technology antitrust investigations

In 2019, Yost joined a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general in investigating whether major technology companies, particularly Facebook and Google, engaged in anticompetitive practices. The investigation examined whether these companies had grown into monopolies that stifled competition, reduced consumer choice, and endangered user privacy. Ohio lawmakers expressed support for Yost's participation in the investigation, which represented one of the most significant state-level regulatory actions against Big Tech companies at the time.

Abortion law and the case of the ten-year-old rape victim

Following the United States Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in June 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade, Ohio's existing six-week abortion ban—known as the "heartbeat bill"—took effect. The law prohibited abortions after approximately six weeks of pregnancy, a point at which many women are not yet aware that they are pregnant, and included no exceptions for cases of rape or incest.

Yost played a central role in defending the law, filing a motion to dissolve a court injunction that had previously blocked enforcement of the six-week ban.

In July 2022, the case of a ten-year-old girl from Ohio who had been raped and became pregnant drew national and international attention. Due to Ohio's six-week abortion ban, the child was unable to obtain an abortion in the state and was forced to travel to Indiana to undergo the procedure. The case generated significant outrage on social media and in the national press, with the hashtag "She's 10" trending as commentators expressed anger that a child rape victim could be denied an abortion under Ohio law.

Yost initially cast public doubt on the veracity of the story before the case was confirmed by law enforcement. The Ohio Attorney General's office posted about the situation on social media as the controversy unfolded. The incident became a focal point in the national debate over abortion access following the Dobbs decision and drew sustained criticism of Yost and Ohio's abortion restrictions from reproductive rights advocates and Democratic politicians.

2020 presidential election

Yost was among the Republican state officials who supported legal efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 United States presidential election, which was won by Joe Biden. His involvement in these efforts was consistent with a broader pattern among Republican attorneys general who joined or supported litigation seeking to overturn or question the outcome of the election in several states.

Norfolk Southern East Palestine lawsuit

In 2023, Yost filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Railway in connection with the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, which occurred on February 3, 2023. The derailment released hazardous chemicals into the environment, causing significant damage to the East Palestine community and surrounding areas. Yost's lawsuit sought to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for the environmental and public health consequences of the disaster.

OhioHealth antitrust lawsuit (2026)

In February 2026, Yost's office joined the United States Department of Justice in filing a federal antitrust lawsuit against OhioHealth, a major healthcare system operating 16 facilities across Ohio, including locations in Mansfield, Shelby, Delaware, Dublin, and Mount Gilead. The lawsuit alleged that OhioHealth engaged in anticompetitive practices in its health-care contracts that limited competition among insurers and drove up health insurance costs for Ohio consumers. The case represented one of the most significant state-federal collaborations on healthcare antitrust enforcement in Ohio.

Elder fraud protection

In February 2026, Yost announced a partnership between the Ohio Attorney General's office, the Ohio Bankers League, and the Ohio Health Care Association aimed at protecting older Ohioans from fraud and financial exploitation. The initiative adopted a team-based approach to identifying and intervening in cases of elder financial abuse.

Use-of-force investigations

Yost has advocated for independent investigations into government use of deadly force in Ohio, arguing that the state's model of independent review helps rebuild public trust and sets a standard for transparency and accountability. In a February 2026 opinion piece published in The Hill, Yost described Ohio's approach to stopping "DIY use-of-force investigations" as a model for other states.

Criminal prosecutions

As Attorney General, Yost has continued to oversee criminal enforcement actions on behalf of the state. In February 2026, his office announced the indictment of a Columbus woman in connection with an alleged bid-rigging scheme involving online auctions, in which bids were artificially inflated to defraud buyers.

Ohio Republican politics and the 2026 gubernatorial race

In December 2025, Yost publicly disagreed with the Ohio Republican Party's endorsement of businessman Vivek Ramaswamy in the 2026 gubernatorial race, stating that the endorsement was "the wrong choice." Yost's comments placed him at odds with the majority of Ohio Republican leaders who had rallied behind Ramaswamy as the party's candidate for governor.

Personal Life

Yost is married to Darlene Yost, and the couple have three children. The family resides in Ohio. In 2022, during the heated national debate over Ohio's abortion laws, Yost was the target of a swatting incident, in which a false emergency report was made to law enforcement to draw an armed police response to his home. The swatting call falsely reported a shooting at Yost's residence.

Recognition

Yost received the endorsement of The Columbus Dispatch during his 2018 campaign for Attorney General, with the newspaper's editorial board calling him "the better choice" for the office. He has been a contributor to the Federalist Society, a prominent conservative and libertarian legal organization that plays a significant role in judicial and legal policy debates in the United States. Yost has appeared on C-SPAN programming in connection with his official duties and public commentary on legal matters.