Sources: Griffin Planning to Fund Statewide GOP Slate of Candidates
Sources say Illinois’ richest person, hedge fund executive Ken Griffin, is planning to fund a slate of GOP candidates next year, led by Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin for Governor and State Representative Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville) for Lt. Governor.
Billionaire hedge fund executive Ken Griffin is planning to fund a slate of candidates on the statewide GOP ticket in 2022, according to sources with knowledge of discussions.
Griffin, Illinois’ richest person, has had public spats with incumbent Democratic Governor JB Pritzker in recent months and vowed to do whatever it took to defeat Pritzker next year.
The slate is likely to include Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin for Governor, who has recently polled about the race, and Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville), a rising star in GOP politics, as his running mate.
Neither Irvin’s spokesperson nor Bourne returned messages from The Illinoize Wednesday night.
We’re told Griffin has pledged as much as $60 million in the primary, mostly aimed at beating back right wing Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), who is seen by few insiders as having a chance to defeat Pritzker in the General Election. Griffin’s metaphorical checkbook would be opened up for the fall race.
A spokesman for Griffin did not respond to our request for comment late last night.
It isn’t yet known who else may be part of the slate, but Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) is expected to play a part. Rep. Dan Brady (R-Bloomington), who has announced a bid for Secretary of State, told The Illinoize Wednesday night he has not spoken with any members of Griffin’s team. Demmer did not return a message from The Illinoize.
The potential entry of a slate backed by a billionaire is a giant departure in Illinois Republican circles, and some insiders are rankled, we’re told.
“A lot of us wonder if Ken Griffin really is fully aware of what his consultants are doing,” a longtime Republican operative said on a condition of anonymity. “Slating has never been a Republican thing and choosing a [slate] with little to no input from party activists and elected officials is right out of the Madigan playbook. There’s a lot of irritated people.”
The operative guessed Irvin wouldn’t be able to win a GOP primary. Currently, there are no announced major GOP candidates for Attorney General, Treasurer, or Comptroller, which are all offices held by Democrats.
The last time all statewide offices were won by Republicans was 1994, when Jim Edgar’s landslide re-election victory propelled the GOP into power.