Kenneth Griffin
| Kenneth Griffin | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | Citadel |
| Role: | Founder and CEO |
| Location: | Miami, Florida |
| Education: | •Harvard University |
Kenneth Griffin is the founder and CEO of Citadel, a privately-held, global multistrategy hedge fund and asset management firm.[1] Griffin founded Citadel in 1990.[2] A self-described "...nonpartisan devoted to 'fair markets, free markets, personal liberty and freedom'", Crain's Chicago Business named Griffin as "Chicago's richest resident".[3][4] In 2022, Griffin moved Citadel's global headquarters from Chicago, Illinois to Miami, Florida.[5] In 2025, Forbes estimated Griffin's net worth at $50.2 billion.[6]
Biography
Griffin, a native of Florida, "...started trading while in the dorms at Harvard University" before working for Glenwood Partners.[7] Griffin earned a degree in economics from Harvard in 1989.[8]
In 1990, Griffin founded Citadel, his Chicago, Ill.-based hedge fund. In 2002, Griffin and his partners started Citadel Securities.[8] In 2022, Griffin moved Citadel's global headquarters to Miami, Florida.
Work and activities
Citadel and Citadel Securities
Griffin founded Citadel in 1990 and Citadel Securities in 2002. According to the firms' websites, Citadel is "a multi-strategy alternative investment manager, striving to generate superior long-term returns for the world’s preeminent public and private institutions," and Citadel Securities is a "next-generation capital markets firm" which "provides liquidity to the world’s vital financial institutions, helping to shape the global markets of tomorrow."[9] [10]
Political spending
Griffin described his motivation for political donations to the Chicago Tribune:[11]
| “ |
"I have made a number of significant political contributions over the last three years, both at the state level and the national level. I've made a number of contributions to what are referred to today as PACs and super PACs, because I'm terrified that we as a country are headed in the wrong direction."[12] |
” |
Since 2001, Griffin has donated more than $144 million to individual campaigns and political action committees at the federal level.[13][14] [15] Griffin donated almost $13.6 million dollars to Gov. Bruce Rauner's (R) campaign in 2014.[4] Griffin has also given Rahm Emanuel's (D) 2015 campaign for Mayor of Chicago, Ill. $325,000, with another $850,000 to Chicago Forward, "...a super PAC that supports Mayor Rahm Emanuel".[4] The Illinois State Board of Elections lists Griffin's total donations at more than $177.8 million dollars.[16]
Griffin donated more than $2 million to the American Crossroads Super PAC between 2010 and 2014, and Griffin has made campaign donations to both Democratic and Republican candidates, including President Barack Obama (D), former Senator John Kerry (D-Ma.), U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), and U.S Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Griffin has given to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.[15][17]
Griffin was named to Crain's Chicago Business "Top 20 most powerful political insiders" list in September 2015, and ranked #12 on Chicago Magazine's "Power 100" list of most influential Chicagoans in March 2015.[18][19]
In April 2024, Punchbowl News reported Griffin had given $4 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund to support four specific Republican candidates in battleground races—Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Michelle Steel (R-Calif.), and Jennifer Kiggans (R-Va.). The outlet reported that to that point in the 2024 cycle, Griffin had given at least $23 million to political campaigns or PACs.[20]
OpenSecrets ranked Griffin #5 on their "2024 Top Donors to Outside Spending Groups" list.[21] According to OpenSecrets Griffin donated $107 million to satellite spending groups in 2024.[21]
2016 presidential endorsement
✓ Griffin endorsed Marco Rubio for the Republican primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[22]
- See also: Endorsements for Marco Rubio
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Top influencers by state
Influencers in American politics are power players who help get candidates elected, put through policy proposals, cause ideological changes, and affect popular perceptions. They can take on many forms: politicians, lobbyists, advisors, donors, corporations, industry groups, labor unions, single-issue organizations, nonprofits, to name a few.
In 2015, Ballotpedia identified Kenneth Griffin as a top influencer by state. We identified top influencers across the country through several means, including the following:
- Local knowledge of our professional staff
- Surveys of activists, thought leaders and journalists from across the country and political spectrum
- Outreach to political journalists in each state who helped refine our lists
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Kenneth Griffin. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Citadel, "Homepage," accessed October 29, 2015
- ↑ Citadel, "Leadership: Kenneth Griffin," accessed October 29, 2015
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Citadel’s Ken Griffin Leaves 2008 Tumble Far Behind," August 3, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Crain's Chicago Business, "The top 20 most powerful political insiders," September 7, 2015
- ↑ Fox Business, "Billionaire Ken Griffin says Citadel’s Chicago exodus was ‘not hard,’ cites crime, taxes," October 12, 2025
- ↑ Forbes, "Ken Griffin," accessed October 31, 2025
- ↑ Crain's Chicago Business, "Not the Ken Griffin story you were expecting," March 6, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 LinkedIn, "Ken Griffin," accessed October 31, 2025
- ↑ Citadel, "Who We Are," accessed October 31, 2025
- ↑ Citadel Securities, "Who We Are," accessed October 31, 2025
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Ken Griffin interview: billionaire talks politics and money," March 11, 2012
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Individual contributions," accessed October 31, 2025
- ↑ To access a record of Griffin's federal campaign contributions, go the "Transaction Query By Individual Contributor" page on the Federal Election Commission's website, and search for Kenneth Griffin, Chicago, Illinois, Employer: Citatel
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Federal Election Commission, "Transaction Query By Individual Contributor," accessed October 29, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Individual Contributions: Kenneth Griffin," accessed October 31, 2025
- ↑ Democratic Underground, "Billionaire leads hedge fund shift away from Obama," December 7, 2010
- ↑ Crain’s Chicago Business, "The 20 most powerful political insiders," September 7, 2015
- ↑ Chicago Magazine, "The Power 100," March 2015
- ↑ Punchbowl News, "Ken Griffin gives $4M to House GOP super PAC," April 15, 2024
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 OpenSecrets, "2024 Top Donors to Outside Spending Groups," accessed October 31, 2025
- ↑ The New York Times, "Kenneth Griffin, Richest Man in Illinois, Endorses Marco Rubio," December 9, 2015
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