PICTURES OF WEALTH
Forbes: Griffin state’s richest, gov candidate Pritzker ranks fifth
With an estimated fortune of $ 3.4 billion, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful J. B. Pritzker is the fifth- richest person in Illinois.
But Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s pal Ken Griffin is the richest with a cool $ 8.5 billion.
That’s according to Forbes’ latest rankings of the wealthiest 400 Americans. Fourteen Illinois residents made this year’s cutoff of $ 2 billion — a bit too rich for Rauner’s blood. The governor didn’t make the list.
Rauner, who has previously estimated his net worth at $ 500 million, reported a joint taxable income of $ 73 million with first lady Diana Rauner in 2016.
Both Rauner and Pritzker are self- financing their gubernatorial bids. Rauner has already kicked in $ 50 million this time and Pritzker $ 28 million.
Rauner is getting help from the state’s richest man — and the country’s 52nd- richest person overall, according to Forbes. Griffin has donated $ 33,589,295.18 to Rauner’s political fund since 2013 — $ 20 million of that last May.
Itwas a billion- dollar year for the founder and CEO of Chicago- based hedge fund Citadel. Griffin’s net worth was estimated at just $ 7.5 billion on last year’s list, when he came in at No. 57.
Pritzker was not the only member of his high- profile family to crack this year’s list. Other heirs and heiresses of the Hyatt hotel fortune in the top 400 include Thomas Pritzker at $ 3.7 billion, Jean “Gigi” Pritzker at $ 2.7 billion and Penny Pritzker at $ 2.6 billion.
A fifth Pritzker who was on last year’s list — Jennifer Pritzker— fell out of the top 400, replaced by newcomer Rishi Shah, the cofounder of Outcome Health whose worth is estimated at $ 3.6 billion, placing him 206th overall.
The other spots held by Illinoisans are perennial faces on the list, including investment mogul Sam Zell ($ 5.1 billion), casino developer Neil Bluhm ($ 3.3 billion) and Beanie Baby creator Ty Warner ($ 2.7 billion).
Microsoft founder Bill Gates tops this year’s national list with a fortune valued at $ 89 billion. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is second and investor Warren Buffett is third.