To subscribe to Capitol Fax, click here. *** UPDATED x5 *** Ken Griffin contributes $20 million to Rauner Wednesday, May 17, 2017 * The A-1 is here. More in a bit. Griffin is a longtime Rauner supporter and has contributed heavily in the past. He’s also the state’s wealthiest resident. Rauner dumped $50 million into his own account last December. *** UPDATE 1 *** From Ken Griffin… “Governor Rauner cares deeply about the future of our state and making it a better place to live and work. He has the winning plan to create jobs, improve our schools and put Illinois on the right path forward.” * Tribune… The contribution by the founder and CEO of Citadel, reported to the State Board of Elections on Tuesday, brings to nearly $33.6 million the amount of money and services that Griffin has contributed to the governor’s political fund since Rauner began running for office in 2013. The donation appears to be the largest noncandidate contribution ever given to a campaign. Rauner gave his own campaign $50 million in December of last year. Griffin is the second-largest contributor to the Republican governor behind only Rauner himself. In his initial 2014 bid and in his current re-election effort, Rauner has given himself $95 million. The Griffin donation gives Rauner’s re-election bank account nearly $71 million, virtually all of it from the two men. *** UPDATE 2 *** Press release… Illinois Working Together Campaign Director Jake Lewis released the following statement in regards to Ken Griffin’s $20 million campaign donation to Gov. Bruce Rauner: “Never has the Rauner re-election strategy been clearer. On the same day the state’s bill backlog tops $14 billion, the governor released a new campaign ad and his political campaign raked in $20 million from Illinois’ richest man. Rauner’s game plan is simple: spend millions of dollars to paper over his abysmal record of failure as governor. If Rauner truly wanted to fix Illinois, he would drop the big money political games and do his job.” *** UPDATE 3 *** From the Pritzker campaign… “Bruce Rauner is a failed governor who has put politics over governing and passing a budget for our state,” said Pritzker campaign communications director Galia Slayen. “Now, his special interest friends are back to bail him out and ensure his Koch brothers agenda gets a second life. Before once again dumping money into Rauner’s campaign, Ken Griffin donated $100,000 to Donald Trump’s inaugural. It’s clear that Ken Griffin and Rauner’s special interest allies want to force the Rauner-Trump agenda on our state, which attacks our working families and is decimating our economy.” * From Ameya Pawar… Billionaire tax avoiders, like Bruce Rauner and Ken Griffin, will spend whatever it takes to implement their radical and bigoted Trump-aligned agenda. What’s clear is that this billionaire class wants to buy Illinois for themselves. Don’t think for a moment these wealthy people have anyone’s interests but their own at heart. We have to to stop worshiping wealth, get big money out of politics, and unite as a state around an agenda that invests in people and communities. *** UPDATE 4 *** From the DGA… “Rather than focus on the budget, Governor Rauner has turned to Trump donor Ken Griffin for $20 million to try to salvage his failing re-election campaign,” said DGA Communications Director Jared Leopold. “Now we know why Bruce Rauner won’t stand up to Donald Trump: Rauner’s top donor enthusiastically supports Trumpcare. Bruce Rauner has shown he’ll choose Donald Trump over the people of Illinois every day of the week.” *** UPDATE 5 *** Kennedy campaign… Chris Kennedy’s campaign is fueled by 3,000 individual campaign contributions because Illinois residents want to restore the promise of the American Dream and reform a system that is working well for political insiders but not for them. Democrats should not fall into the trap of replacing one billionaire for another. Party insiders might think that is the best way to beat Bruce Rauner, but voters know we can’t afford more of the status quo. - Posted by Rich Miller

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