Meet the Billionaire Who Just Dethroned Donald Trump as America's Richest Politician
White House,J.B. Pritzker,Donald Trump,Billionaires,Elections
President Trump is no longer America’s richest politician. Billionaire Democrat Jay Robert ‘J.B.’ Pritzker just spent a record $171.5 million of his own money to become the next governor of Illinois – and America’s wealthiest plutocrat.
The venture capitalist and Hyatt Hotel heir won 54% of the vote, defeating Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner – himself a private equity billionaire – by a 15-point margin. Rauner gambled nearly $60 million of his own fortune on the Illinois governor race; in total, the two billionaires personally spent almost $230 million.
Former eBay and Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Meg Whitman held the previous high for self-financing, after spending $144 million on her failed bid for California governor in 2010.
