The 50 Richest members of Congress

Even membership in Congress’ most exclusive club couldn’t insulate lawmakers from the economic downturn.

According to Roll Call’s annual examination of House and Senate financial disclosure forms, while the 50 richest Members of Congress remain financially flush — each with a minimum net worth of nearly $5.5 million — many of them suffered significant financial losses in 2008.

Lawmakers on this year’s list reported a combined loss of more than $275 million from their minimum net worth since 2007. While the combined wealth of the 50 richest Members tallied approximately $1.3 billion in 2008, that figure falls nearly $171 million short of the previous club, which put up a total of almost $1.5 billion.

Among the 38 lawmakers who return to the 50 richest club in 2008, the average reported wealth has declined more than 10 percent. Those who ranked at or near the top of the list last year reported some of the biggest losses, including Rep. Jane Harman’s (D-Calif.) decline of more than 50 percent, or $114 million less than she previously reported.

Here are the Top 10 in 2008 minimum net worth:
1. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., $167M
2. Rep. Darrel Issa, R-Calif., $164M
3. Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., $112M
4. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., $85M
5. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., $72M
6. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., $71M
7. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., $49M
8. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., $48M
9. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., $42M
10. Rep. Harry Teague, D-N.M., $40M

http://www.rollcall.com/features/Guide-to-Congress_2009/guide/38181-1.html

Full list here : http://innovation.cqpolitics.com/cq-rollcall/richest_members_of_congress_2008

Interesting how 8 of the top 10 are Democrats.

I'm surprised there are not more Republicans on the list.

Perhaps they have better means of hiding their income.

It's not as easy to buy off people who don't need the money.

on the list or doesn't his wife's money count? How many repubs have rich wives to hid their share of the wealth?

Update: should have checked the link. McCain only has $15M, obviously his wife's money doesn't count.

The amount listed for her doesn't include her husband's money??

and yet every one of these 'lists' always puts their finances as the same, but never do that to McCain, who probably does have more entwined finances with his wife than Kerry has with Teresa who has set aside that fortune ONLY for her and John Heinz' sons.

These lists are meant for BULLSHIT purposes to get BULLSHIT reactions - they care nothing for truth.

crying out for them to divest themselves of some of their wealth in the never-ending "stick it to the rich" campaign?

Or, is it simply ok for dems to be rich but hate the repubs for it? Is that some sort of 'rich bigotry'?

Kennedy was rich. He stood up for working people his entire career.

Personally I have a problem with people who use their positions of power to make themselves rich.

teddy kennedy was a prime example of how dems use their position to help others on a larger social scale where the republicans believe only individuals/private entities, not government, should hold out that helping hand. the problem with the republican stance, as i see it, is that so many groups would be ignored/avoided by those individuals/entities. iow, who would help the outcasts? buscho wanted the handup to be by the churches. how many would give a hand up to gays or atheists . . . or muslims?

how many republicans have you heard agree that they could pay more taxes to help fund social programs? they don't even want to pay for bushco's wars!

ellen fl