What are they really worth?

Publication: Minneapolis Star Tribune

May 13, 2008

The nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation on Tuesday posted the first analysis of the net worth of the 535 members of Congress. The numbers are in inflation-adjusted 2006 dollars from as far back as 1995 to 2006. Here's a look at lawmakers' rising and falling fortunes:

The fastest climber: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's average net worth grew from negative $6 million to $30.7 million from 2000 to 2006, the fastest financial climb in recent years for any member of Congress who started out with no assets.

The contender: Sen. Barack Obama's estimated net worth rose from $328,442 in 2004 to $799,006 in 2006.

Finding middle ground: Sen. John McCain reported a $27.6 million surge in his average net worth -- the midpoint between the lowest and highest ranges of his and his wife's assets listed on his Senate financial disclosure forms -- from 1995 to 2006. He and his wife, Cindy, rose from an average net worth of $8.9 million to an average of $36.4 million, the ninth-fastest biggest upward move in Congress.

The wealthiest: Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., left, with a net worth estimated at $409.4 million. She was followed by Rep. Daryl Issa, R-Calif., at $337.4 million and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., with a fortune estimated at $267.8 million.

At the bottom: Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., with an estimated minus $4.7 million. The average net worth of Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., slid from $78.1 million to a negative $1.8 million. In all, 178 reported declines in their average net worth. Six reported no assets, including Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill.

About those disclosures: Politicians' financial disclosures almost always understate their net worth because members aren't required to list their homes, many of which are worth millions of dollars.

Read the report: fortune535.sunlightprojects.org.

MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE