More Than Half of Senators Are Millionaires

And Max Baucus, Debbie Stabenow out of the red
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 28, 2010 8:44 AM CDT
More Than Half of Senators Are Millionaires
John Kerry is the richest man in Congress, at least according to his financial disclosure forms, with $188 million in assets.   (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

If you’re looking for a recession-proof job, try running for Senate. The combined personal fortunes of the upper chamber members rose 4% to $680 million last year, according to financial disclosure information reviewed by Roll Call. More than half of all senators, 54 lawmakers, are worth more than $1 million, with another four missing the cut by less than $100,000. And those numbers likely understate the actual wealth of the chamber.

Lots of senators reported huge gains last year—Jeff Sessions’ minimum net worth shot up 124% to $2.24 million, for example, and that still only makes him the 33rd-wealthiest senator. John Kerry remains the wealthiest overall, with $188.37 million in assets. But the numbers may not be entirely accurate, Roll Call warns, because they’re based on generous disclosure rules. Milwaukee Bucks owner Herb Kohl, for example, is the poorest senator on paper, even though he’s probably the richest in real life. (More Senate stories.)

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