He Tried to Set Limits on His State’s School Vouchers. Billionaires Helped Bankroll a Campaign to Unseat Him.
The post He Tried to Set Limits on His State’s School Vouchers. Billionaires Helped Bankroll a Campaign to Unseat Him. appeared first on ProPublica .
Five days after proposing to limit state spending on school vouchers, West Virginia Delegate Vernon Criss faced intense opposition. Parents and media gathered outside the House Finance Committee room on a chilly February morning, holding signs and homework. Criss, the committee chair, returned to his office before returning to face the protest.
The proposal aimed to cap payouts from a program diverting public tax dollars to private education. Criss, who five years prior supported the Hope Scholarship program, worried about unchecked growth of the program and its impact on the state budget. Three political action committees, backed by billionaire-backed organizations, spent heavily on independent ads to defeat Criss in the 2026 primary.
The Koch family network and Jeffrey Yass, a Pennsylvania billionaire, contributed to these PACs, which included the School Freedom Fund and Sugar Maple PAC. Criss had been unopposed in his 2024 primary, but the heavy spending in 2026 led to his defeat.
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