As Ken Griffin Becomes Largest GOP Donor in the Country, Irvin Tries to Hide Him From Press

In a candidate profile, Illinois GOP gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin dodged a question about his top campaign contributors — trying to hide the well-known fact that megadonor Ken Griffin has been bankrolling his struggling campaign.

But Ken Griffin isn’t hiding his influence — in fact, he’s flaunting it. Griffin officially became the largest GOP megadonor in the country for combined federal and state campaigns this election cycle, a title he earned by dumping a record-breaking $50 million into Irvin’s campaign.

When asked who his top three campaign contributors were, Irvin employed the trusty old duck-and-dodge, saying his three main contributors are those who plan to vote for him, those who volunteer for him, and those who “contribute financially.”

Missing in that answer is $50 million worth of support from the wealthiest person in Illinois — a sum that constitutes the largest chunk of Griffin’s local spending. In return, Irvin concocts pay to play schemes to enrich Griffin and rewrites history to align himself with the megadonor’s platform.

“Richard Irvin will stop at nothing to hide from voters and obscure the truth,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Illinoisans deserve a transparent, honest leader — not one who ducks and dodges even when asked an easy, straightforward question. Illinoisans deserve better than Richard Irvin.”