Pennsylvanians protest Dark Money Billionaire Jeff Yass Outside Political Elite Brunch in NYC

For Immediate Release

12/2/23

Press contacts:

Maryam Arain maryam@acrecampaigns.org

Dimo Ortiz dimo@onepa.org

TODAY: Pennsylvanians protest Dark Money Billionaire Jeff Yass Outside Political Elite Brunch in NYC

(NYC, NY)— On Saturday December 2, 2023 100 Pennsylvanians gathered in Manhattan as part of the #AllEyesOnYass campaign to protest the outsized influence that billionaire and major political donor Jeff Yass has on state politics at a Pennsylvania Society-affiliated event. The protest was organized around the PA Society’s annual congregation of the state’s political elite, which traditionally marks the commencement of Pennsylvania’s 2024 political season in New York City.

Grassroots organizations from across Pennsylvania rallied outside of a PA Manufacturers’ Association (PMA) brunch Saturday to shed a spotlight on the harmful impact of Yass’s political network, which includes PMA’s PAC and other PACs and organizations that fight to privatize public schools, block climate solutions, and stall efforts to raise the minimum wage. 

“Elected officials are trusted with our tax dollars and their decisions absolutely determine our living conditions. If corporate and business elites try to influence them and rob us of our futures at cocktail parties and fancy brunches, we—the working people of Pennsylvania—are going to be there. To billionaires like Jeff Yass, our democracy is just another poker game, in which he’s trying to get the best odds for his investments. But democracy for us is making sure that billionaires like Yass stop rigging the rules, so we can have fully funded communities.” said T-Bah, executive director of Free the Ballot.

Yass, the richest man in PA, is the single largest donor to Pennsylvania’s rightwing dark money infrastructure. Playing off his reported obsession with gambling, the protest featured signs such as: “When he bets on our futures, it costs us our livelihoods: living wage, fully funded schools, affordable housing, and healthy climate.”

“We’re here to show the PA elite that we’ll be watching them throughout the 2024 election season, and we won’t let billionaires stand in the way of the future our communities deserve. We expect every elected official to reject Yass’s money, whether from him or his PACs, and instead stand with working people across our state,” said Diana Robinson, political director of Make the Road Action Pennsylvania. 

The protest spotlighted Pennsylvanians negatively impacted by Yass’s pro-privatization, anti-democratic agenda, especially communities of color, working class and LGBT communities, and women. The protest was organized by grassroots organizations from across Pennsylvania including Free the Ballot, One Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Jobs with Justice, Make the Road Action PA, the Action Center on Race & Economy (ACRE), POWER, and Little Sis.

“Jeff Yass and his web of PACs are rolling the dice with our futures, playing a dangerous game with the climate, the next generation, and the very essence of our existence, ” says One Pennsylvania board member Paulette Whitfield. “They want to gamble on our lives, but mark my words: we’re not going to let them play with our destiny. We stand united, resilient, and ready to fight against their corporate power and ensure a legacy that transcends their reckless bets.“

Yass uses his influence to stack the deck in favor of corporations and Wall Street and against working people and the environment. His network of PACs and lobbying groups have pushed specifically for an expansion of school vouchers and ‘educational tax credits,’ enabling Yass and others from Susquehanna to use these credits to avoid paying at least $53 million in state taxes, at the expense of an already underfunded public education system. 

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The #AllEyesOnYass campaign is led by a diverse coalition of Pennsylvania community organizations across the state, representing tens of thousands of people. For years now, we have called attention to the role of Jeff Yass in undermining Pennsylvania’s democracy, especially as his role in local, state and federal elections has grown.

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The #AllEyesOnYass campaign is led by a diverse coalition of Pennsylvania community organizations across the state, representing tens of thousands of people. For years now, we have called attention to the role of Jeff Yass in undermining Pennsylvania’s democracy, especially as his role in local, state and federal elections has grown.

The #AllEyesOnYass campaign is led by a diverse coalition of Pennsylvania community organizations across the state, representing tens of thousands of people. For years now, we have called attention to the role of Jeff Yass in undermining Pennsylvania’s democracy, especially as his role in local, state and federal elections has grown.