Citadel’s Ken Griffin Emerges As A Key GOP Donor

Hedge fund titan and public enemy number one with retail investors Ken Griffin is emerging as one of the GOP’s largest donors. 

In fact, he is either “the first- or second-biggest individual donor to outside spending groups on the Republican side for federal races this election cycle,” the Wall Street Journal reported this weekend.

He has donated $18.25 to five groups that have promoted conservative candidates, the report said. $7.5 million was his largest single gift, and it went to the Congressional Leadership Fund.

Griffin has also been outspoken about his donations, stating that more U.S. business leaders need to become involved in politics despite risks of alienating customers or employees. 

Griffin said: “Too many of America’s business leaders stay out of politics today. They have to be engaged because they understand the ramification of policy decisions: I’m building a business; I’m running a factory; I’m creating jobs. They just can’t continue to be silent.”

He continued, telling WSJ: “Pick people from both sides who represent the values that we need as a nation to move forward. Some of the most senior partners at Citadel are big supporters of Democrats, and they support people who I think have an important voice in the dialogue in America. The debate between our two parties is where we will find the right common ground.”

“It’s time that we move on as a country. It’s really important that we end the rhetoric in America that elections can be rigged,” Griffin told the Journal. 

He thinks Republicans should “move past” questioning the 2020 election and that both sides should find younger candidates to run for President in 2024. 

We’ll drink to that…

“For both parties, I think it’s time we look to the next generation,” he said when asked about 2024. 

Griffin’s donations “remain central” to funding outside groups that are responsible for a large portion of political advertising. 

And Griffin’s donations have been rising in recent years. He explained: “Nothing is more important to the future of America than a robust nursery through high school, and then a system of higher education. A huge part of my shift towards being more involved in politics has been watching federal and state policies undermine access to the American Dream.”

He also called teacher unions “impediment to student outcomes,” while at the same time suggesting higher pay.

He also suggested his concerns with growing crime in U.S. cities. Speaking about Chicago he said: “I’ve had multiple colleagues mugged at gunpoint. I’ve had a colleague stabbed on the way to work. That’s a really difficult backdrop with which to draw talent to your city.”

Griffin is bookended by older billionaire donors on the Democrat side, like George Soros. Griffin is nearly 4 decades Soros’ junior at 53 years old.

And while he was asked about potentially running for office, it doesn’t appear that Griffin is ready to take on the task just yet. “I would like to think that at some point in my life, I will have that opportunity to be involved in public service,” he concluded.