Posted on 06/16/2003 7:42:11 AM PDT by Elkiejg
Financial statements revealed the five richest members of the United States Senate are Democrats. The annual disclosure allows senators to represent their net worth inside a broad range.
Presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) is far ahead of his colleagues with $163 million, most of it coming from his wife's inheritance of the Heinz fortune. The actual estimate is over $400 million.
Lagging behind is Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) at $111 million. The Wisconsin senator's family owns a department store chain. Sen. John "Jay" Rockefeller (D-WV) comes in third with a personal fortune reported to be $81 million. Former Goldman Sachs chairman Sen. John Corzine (D-NJ) weighs in at $71 million, with Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) rounding out the top five at $26.3 million.
Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) breaks the string of Democrat multimillionaires in sixth place at $26.1 million. Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Bill Frist (R-TN), John Edwards (D-NC), and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) complete the top ten.
Democrats are 10 of the top 15 richest senators.
What has historically been referred to as the "Millionaires' Club" is living up to its reputation. Forty sitting members are millionaires but the Senate's measures of wealth don't take spousal income into consideration. If it did, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) would gain 7-figure status. In addition to her $8 million book deal, her husband's income was over $9 million in 2002 for speaking fees. The couple's combined net worth is offset by $5 million in legal defense fees that remain unpaid.
Another member that would be propelled into the ranks of the millionaires would be Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD). The South Dakota senator's wife Linda is a powerful lobbyist who earned an estimated $6 million last year.
A 2004 campaign issue if there ever was one...
Oh, it is--the party of most "little people" and a majority of the big ones . . . putting the pincer on the middle class. As the Gore domination of the inner cities and toney suburbs attests. Bush won everywhere else--geographically almost all the country.
The numbers above are the base estimates; each is "at least" as rich as stated above, because as you point out -- and the article points out -- the disclosures are listed in ranges. If you don't believe the article, try CNN:
John Kerry, D-Massachusetts: $163,626,399
Herb Kohl, D-Wisconsin: $111,015,016
John Rockefeller, D -West Virginia: $81,648,018
Jon Corzine, D-New Jersey: $71,035,025
Dianne Feinstein, D-California: $26,377,109
Peter Fitzgerald, R-Illinois: $26,132,013
Frank Lautenberg, D-New Jersey $17,789,018
Bill Frist, R-Tennessee: $15,108,042
John Edwards, D-North Carolina: $12,844,029
Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts: $9,905,009
Jeff Bingaman, D-New Mexico: $7,981,015
Bob Graham, D-Florida: $7,691,052
Richard Shelby, R-Alabama: $7,085,012
Gordon Smith, R-Oregon: $6,429,011
Lincoln Chafee, R-Rhode Island: $6,296,010
Ben Nelson, D-Nebraska: $6,267,028
Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee: $4,823,018
Mike DeWine, R-Ohio: $4,308,093
Mark Dayton, D-Minnesota: $3,974,037
Ben Campbell, R-Colorado: $3,165,007
Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska: $2,963,013
Olympia Snowe, R-Maine: $2,955,037
James Talent, R-Missouri: $2,843,031
Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania: $2,045,016
Judd Gregg, R-New Hampshire: $1,916,026
John McCain, R-Arizona: $1,838,010
James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma: $1,570,043
John Warner, R-Virginia: $1,545,039
Kay Bailey Hutchison, R - Texas: $1,513,046
Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky: $1,511,017
Harry Reid, D-Nevada: $1,500,040
Sam Brownback, R-Kansas: $1,491,018
Thomas Carper, D-Delaware: $1,482,017
Ted Stevens, R-Alaska: $1,417,013
Maria Cantwell, D-Washington: $1,264,999
Barbara Boxer, D-California: $1,172,003
Orrin Hatch, R-Utah: $1,086,023
Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana: $1,080,014
Bill Nelson, D-Florida: $1,073,014
Charles Grassley, R-Iowa: $1,016,024
*These figures are base estimates provided by senators on their financial disclosure forms.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/06/13/senators.finances/
Joseph Biden, D-Del., listed an annuity account worth from $6,000 to $90,000 and life insurance policies worth from $15,000 to $50,000. His reported liabilities included loans and credit lines ranging from $305,000 to $715,000. "
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/06/13/national1618EDT0658.DTL
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