CHICAGO – As promised for weeks by sources within Mayor Richard Irvin's circles, Citadel billionaire Ken Griffin made a major donation to Irvin for Illinois this week – a check for $20,000,000.
Over the years, Griffin has donated $141,749,097.23 to state political campaigns, the vast majority to Republican organizations, statewide legislative and a few local municipal candidates – including over $36 million to Bruce Rauner alone, State Board of Elections reports.
Griffin's money does give a step up, but doesn't guarantee a win for Irvin, however. The same political consultants that pulled Bruce Rauner over the finish line in 2014 by shaming and intimidating conservative Republicans throughout the state to back off their commitment to pro-life, pro-Second Amendment and pro-legal immigration are becoming millionaires by pushing Irvin forward. Those same consultants and their "anti-social issues" arguments kept conservatives away from the polls in the Rauner vs Pritzker 2018 gubernatorial bid.
While over 60 Illinois Republican Party leaders signed on recently to endorse Irvin over the other GOP candidates, observers expect to begin seeing donations via Griffin's money begin showing up in local Republican organization coffers just as they did in 2014 when the same consultants made similar promises on behalf of Bruce Rauner.
Some, it's reported by insiders, are being promised up to and including $10,000 just for allowing their names to be used on Irvin's endorsement list. That is yet to be verified. However, we are seeing Chicago's wealthiest Republicans write checks to Irvin – including Illinois' Republican National Committeeman Richard Porter, who wrote a check to Irvin recently for $10,000.
It's all quite intriguing to watch, political observers are saying. For Republican leadership to back Irvin – who has consistently pulled Democratic primary ballots election after election, except for 2018, when the Republican Party had a tight gubernatorial primary between incumbent Governor Bruce Rauner and GOP challenger Jeanne Ives.
When can a person that has self-identified as Democrat for election after election suddenly experience conversion and move immediately into the leadership spot of the opposing political party's state organization. That's exactly what Richard Irvin will become if he – as a Republican – is elected to the state's top leadership role.
Other IL GOP gubernatorial candidates voiced their opinions after the Griffin donation hit Chicago media headlines Monday.
Businessman Gary Rabine, running to be the IL GOP's gubernatorial candidate in 2022, said, “We knew from the beginning that Fake- Republican-Governor-Candidate, Irvin, is a bought and paid for candidate. I cannot be bought. We also know that Irvin has repeatedly voted in Democratic primaries.
"He supports defunding the police, mask mandates and sanctuary cities. His winning the support of Republican rank and file voters will be an uphill climb.”
The latest Irvin for Illinois donations listed on the State Board of Election website:
Anybody is better than Pritzker we have to stop him!
https://national-justice.com/american-oligarchs-i-pritzkers
You know what else Ken Griffin put his money behind? $53 million to defeat the Pritzker Progressive Income tax scheme in 2020…and his effort was successful. Thank you Ken Griffin!
It’s almost like people can be right about some things and wrong about others.
Ken Griffin is being conned by the same people who supposedly defeated the graduated income tax and recalled the out of control Downstate Democrat Supreme Court Justice. But I’ve been told that Darren Bailey is going to get a million from Uhlein and that’s enough to do mail, radio and other grass roots efforts. Irwin is worse than Rauner in 2014 when it comes to issues and track record. Bailey is going to win the primary and the sooner every conservative realizes it and gets on his team, the better the chance we can beat Jelly Belly and both wings of the Uniparty of Illinois.
Richard “no does not mean no” Irvin? Are you kidding me? Someone should look into how many clients he proposed a sex for representation payment plan, especially to poor women ho wanted to get a lawyer for their husband or boyfriend.
You might want tp dig through the openline blogspot archives for the story of Irvin at McCues bar, a woman named Melinda, and a car accident. Then pull the court records.
But there is more, plenty more. Irivn is dishonest, corrupt as they come.
The DEMS have the big money and huge contributors. So what is this about Griffen. Just doing the same.
Ken Griffin “didn’t have to give a dime” to anything that would help to support Republican Party values. Yet he did because he shares in the same GOP beliefs that many of us have. Mr. Griffin has my admiration for his getting involved in helping the Republican Party. I will take the time to learn more about Richard Irvin and will make the effort to talk to and listen to him before I form an opinion on him. We have many good candidates. We need to have many “great” candidates or else we will once again be coming in second place in November. I am tired of second place ribbons for the Illinois Republican Party. I will talk to Irvin and see if he is worthy of my vote before immediately discarding him as a candidate simply because a decent guy with a large amount of money is willing to help him in his campaign. Ken Griffin is a very smart man and he believes Mayor Irvin is the “best chance” the GOP has to unseat Governor Pritzker. I plan to remain open-minded until I at least hear from and talk to Richard Irvin.
Please, Griffin has been inundated with grassroot requests for minor funding to help get out the Republican message in Democratic strongholds and turned a blind eye to long term strategies to brig Asians, Hispanics and Jewish community members into the Republican fold, but ignored such well laid out strategic marketing and instead opts to play King Maker verses party builder.