Issa tops The Hill’s 50 Wealthiest
The chief inquisitor of President Obama’s White House is now Congress’s richest man.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) saw his fortune rise to at least $355 million in 2012, enough to take the crown on The Hill’s 50 Wealthiest list.
Issa, who made his riches with the Viper car security system, snatched the No. 1 spot away from Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), who came in second with a net worth of at least $101 million.
{mosads}Overall, the Republican Party has the edge on The Hill’s list for the third year in a row, with 29 of the 50 lawmakers coming from the conservative side of the aisle.
Thirty-seven of the lawmakers on the list are from the House, with the remaining 13 coming from the Senate.
While several high-profile lawmakers are among the wealthiest — including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — most of the leading contenders for the White House in 2016 missed the top 50.
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the GOP’s vice presidential candidate in 2012, reported a minimum net worth of $2.3 million, while conservative star Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) posted wealth of $1.5 million.
Two other rising GOP stars, Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.), reported more modest financial means. While Paul’s wealth stood at about $455,000, Rubio was in the red with a negative net worth of roughly $190,000.
On the Democratic side, Sen. Mark Warner (Va.) stood out among possible 2016 hopefuls with a minimum net worth of $88.5 million, good enough for third place on The Hill’s list.
Two other Democrats in the 2016 discussion, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), fell on opposite ends of the financial spectrum. While Warren reported a portfolio worth at least $3.9 million, Gillibrand was barely in the black with a net worth of $166,000.
The Hill’s Wealthiest list bid farewell to some familiar faces this year.
John Kerry — a perennial contender for richest lawmaker thanks to his wife’s ties to the Heinz ketchup fortune — left the Senate this year to serve as President Obama’s secretary of State.
Ex-Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and another regular on the list, decided to retire after last year’s election.
And the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who was the first full-time salesman for the payroll processing company Automatic Data Processing, died in 2013.
Taking their place are several lawmakers who are serving their first terms on Capitol Hill.
Among the new additions is Rep. Joseph Kennedy (D-Mass.), whose $15.2 million showing continues the tradition of having a wealthy member of the Kennedy clan in Congress.
Other first-timers include Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), a former Microsoft executive with wealth of at least $23.9 million; Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), a former businessman with $22.3 million; and Rep. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), a former tech entrepreneur with at least $9.2 million.
Other lawmakers earned a spot on the list after their assets climbed skyward.
Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) saw his share in Kentucky and Tennessee farmland and real estate spike, helping to give him a net worth of $8.2 million. Rep. John Fleming’s (R-La.) wealth was $10.7 million in 2012 after his holdings in franchise development and properties soared in value.
But it’s Issa who stands as king of Capitol Hill, thanks in no small part to the removal of $100 million in liabilities from his balance sheet on his 2012 form.
Issa listed several investment funds among his assets, including some that are worth more than $50 million each. He also has properties valued in the millions of dollars.
Before coming to Congress, Issa was a successful chief executive who founded Directed Electronics and served as chairman of the Consumer Electronics Association.
The runner-up on the list, McCaul, owes much of his wealth to family trusts. His wife, Linda, is the daughter of Clear Channel Communications founder Lowry Mays.
To come up with its rankings, The Hill used financial disclosure forms covering the 2012 calendar year. The reports are not perfect because they provide value ranges instead of exact figures.
The Hill adds up the low figures in each value range for every asset and liability. Then, the sum of a lawmaker’s liabilities is deducted from the sum of his or her assets to calculate a minimum net worth.
Some lawmakers provide lengthy bank statements or investment reports with their annual financial statements. The Hill uses exact figures when possible.
The methodology is designed to provide a conservative estimate of a lawmaker’s worth, and it’s likely that many lawmakers, such as Issa and McCaul, are wealthier than their reports indicate.
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— Meredith Bentsen, Amrita Khalid, Mike Lillis, Tianna Mañón, Talia Mindich, Alex Resnak and Katie Tank contributed to this report.
Congress’s toughest watchdog is also its richest member.
Issa wiped some significant debts from his books last year, helping him climb to the very top of The Hill’s 50 Wealthiest.
{mosads}The California Republican no longer lists $75 million worth of personal notes among his liabilities. In addition, a personal loan from Union Bank went from at least $50 million in value in 2011 down to $25 million.
The bulk of Issa’s wealth is kept in huge investment funds, several of which are worth $50 million each. In addition, the congressman has a number of properties valued either at least $1 million or $5 million.
Issa was a successful CEO before coming to Congress. In 1982, the lawmaker helped found Directed Electronics, which is responsible for the popular anti-car theft Viper system.
— Kevin Bogardus
McCaul’s two-year reign atop The Hill’s Wealthy List came to an end as his minimum net worth dropped by nearly $200 million.
The significant drop in his fortune came because he chose to report his wife and family’s holdings differently in 2012.
{mosads}McCaul reported several trusts worth more than $50 million in 2011 that were attributed to his wife, Linda. On the latest form, those assets were listed as worth more than $1 million each, as indicated by an amendment filed later by McCaul, reducing the congressman’s wealth dramatically under The Hill’s methodology.
Linda is the daughter of Lowry Mays, the founder of radio titan Clear Channel Communications.
McCaul included one liability on his 2012 report — a $500,000 mortgage on a personal residence.
— Kevin Bogardus
Tech investor Warner kept his place among Congress’s wealthiest.
The former Virginia governor co-founded the company that later became Nextel and has continued to invest in tech startups throughout the years.
{mosads}On his 2012 report, the Virginia Democrat reported a number of investment funds and companies worth at least $5 million. Some of Warner’s assets also include holdings in Internet and software companies. He also has a Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance policy valued at least $1 million.
Warner reported no debts last year.
— Kevin Bogardus
The retiring Rockefeller’s family fortune is legendary.
As the great-grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, the majority of the West Virginia Democrat’s riches come from three different bank accounts worth a total of at least $80 million.
{mosads}His wife, Sharon Percy Rockefeller, sits on the board of directors for PepsiCo Inc. and owns more than $1 million of stock in the soda manufacturer. The Rockefellers also have two properties worth at least $1.5 million together: a New York City condo attributed to Sharon and a Charleston, W.Va., residence.
Rockefeller’s wealth increased slightly from 2011 after a mortgage held by his spouse on the condo fell by a half-million dollars.
— Megan R. Wilson
Blumenthal is not a businessman by trade, spending nearly his entire career in public service, but his marriage to the daughter of a New York real estate magnate has given him an impressive investment portfolio.
{mosads}Trusts and real estate investments, including office buildings; apartments; warehouses and shopping centers, make up a bulk of the first-term senator’s wealth, many of it attributed to his wife, Cynthia. He also has money in private equity funds.
Blumenthal only has one liability, a 30-year mortgage for a personal residence worth at least $500,000.
— Megan R. Wilson
Delaney is quick to trumpet his distinction as the first congressman ever to have headed a publicly traded company.
In fact, he’s founded two of them in the last 20 years — HealthCare Financial Partners and CapitalSource, Inc. — and his financial portfolio shows it.
{mosads}At least $25 million of Delaney’s fortune remains in CapitalSource stock. The bulk of the balance is dedicated to finance-industry investments, including prodigious ventures into Goldman Sachs, Congressional Bancshares Inc. and Alliance Partners LLC, a Maryland-based lending facilitator.
Delaney reported roughly $2.3 million in liabilities for 2012, including a home mortgage loan of at least $1 million and a credit card debt no less than $15,000.
— Mike Lillis
Polis is a member of the growing class of tech millionaires on Capitol Hill.
{mosads}The Internet whiz helped bring his family’s greeting card business online and also helped launched ProFlowers.com. That success has translated into some serious wealth, with the congressman listing a blind trust worth at least $25 million. He also has a number of assets tied up in software and Internet companies.
Polis saw his wealth drop from 2011 to last year partly because his liabilities nearly doubled to $6.5 million. That included a secured line of credit jumping to at least $5 million last year, up from its $1 million worth in 2011.
— Kevin Bogardus
Peters began his career at the Environmental Protection Agency, but his finances blossomed as a successful environmental attorney representing business interests and government agencies in the private sector.
{mosads}A good deal of the freshman Democrat’s worth also comes from his wife, Lynn Gorguze, the daughter of a successful California industrialist and the CEO of Cameron Holdings, a private equity company founded by her father.
The couple boasts an extensive array of assets featuring a long list of large investments: a minimum of $1 million in oil interests (APCO Argentina), global aerospace (Astronics Corp.) and government bonds from around the country, including places as varied as San Francisco, Austin, Texas, and Columbia County, Wis.
Those holdings are somewhat undercut by at least $5.1 million in liabilities, largely represented by stock index options.
— Mike Lillis
The veteran senator’s stock and land holdings fared well last year.
Feinstein is married to investor Richard Blum, the president and CEO of the private equity firm Blum Capital Partners, and much of her wealth comes from his investments.
{mosads}Though Blum has dabbled in finance and tech, some of the most exotic investments are in real estate.
Together, the couple owns a minimum $5 million share of the Hotel Carlton in San Francisco. They’ve also reported having a million-dollar condo in Hawaii.
Feinstein’s liabilities remained constant from 2011, at a minimum of $2 million.
— Megan R. Wilson
Renacci’s nest egg comes from LTC Management Services, a company he founded that owns and operates nursing homes.
{mosads}The congressman, who is also a certified public accountant, separates his wealth into different investment funds. On his 2012 report, he has listed 15 individual accounts.
Those 15 accounts hold roughly $31 million of his assets, boasting sizable investments in Apple; Costco; Google and Inuit, among hundreds of other companies.
Renacci saw his wealth decline by about $800,000 in 2012, but he only has one liability, worth at least $1 million — a line of credit he says has now been paid off in full.
— Megan R. Wilson
Buchanan is easily one of the wealthiest on Capitol Hill, with more than more than $58 million in car dealerships, stocks, bonds, real estate and other ventures.
But the entrepreneur-turned-congressman’s wealth is undercut by close to $26 million in mortgages and liabilities.
{mosads}In 2012, Buchanan mortgaged a rental home — worth at least $500,000 — on the exclusive, members-only island of Useppa, located off the coast of Florida. He offsets the liability by also including the home as an asset.
His portfolio has contracted since 2011, dropping several assets last year. On his 2012 financial form, he also notes writing off a loan worth at least $250,000 that he extended to a Ford and Chevrolet dealership.
— Megan R. Wilson
Pingree purchased a run-down lodge in 2004 and transformed it into an inn and restaurant known as Nebo Lodge.
She lists the property, located in North Haven, Maine, as worth $500,000 to $1 million.
{mosads}In 2011, Pingree married Wall Street millionaire and philanthropist, S. Donald Sussman, hugely increasing her wealth.
Sussman’s portfolio contains a variety of different assets, including real estate, electric and solar power, and at least $1 million worth of stock in both a Connecticut-based sunscreen manufacturer and an organic milk producer in Maine.
Pingree’s spouse has three liabilities, including at least $2 million in a loan and a line of credit.
— Megan R. Wilson
Real estate and lab work keep Black among the most affluent members of Congress.
More than half of the two-term congresswoman’s wealth is tied up in real estate thanks to several properties in Nashville that are worth at least $5 million each.
{mosads}Black’s husband also has at least $5 million worth of stock in Aegis, a chemical and drug-testing laboratory he founded. He also has investments in Dell, eBay, Google, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, PepsiCo and Target.
Black has $9.5 million in liabilities, an increase of $6.5 million over last year’s debts, stemming from adding some new mortgages last year.
— Megan R. Wilson
The House minority leader is among the wealthiest in Congress, and football is a big part of her financial playbook.
{mosads}Pelosi’s husband, Paul, has at least $5 million each invested in two United Football League franchises.
The couple also jointly owns a home and vineyard valued at least $5 million in St. Helena, Calif.
Pelosi saw her worth decrease by about $2 million as her liabilities rose to almost $14.4 million last year from nearly $12.9 million in 2011.
The lawmaker included two liabilities that weren’t on her 2011 form: a brokerage margin account valued at least $1 million, accredited to Paul, and a jointly owned equity line of credit worth $500,000.
— Kevin Bogardus
DelBene is no Bill Gates, but she has him to thank for her personal fortune.
{mosads}The Washington Democrat worked for 12 years at Microsoft, where her husband, Kurt, has also worked. The two have some big interests in the computer giant, including a jointly owned $250,000 Microsoft asset and another $1 million Microsoft holding attributed to Kurt.
The lawmaker also has a $100,000 asset in Microsoft on her own.
DelBene participated in the Microsoft health plan last year due to her husband’s employment there, according to her disclosure statement.
Also included on DelBene’s 2012 form was an investment in a movie titled “Dumping Lisa” that was deemed worthless last year.
— Kevin Bogardus
Collins’s business acumen shows up on his balance sheet.
{mosads}The freshman Republican has several multimillion-dollar holdings in companies as near as Buffalo, N.Y., and as far away as New Zealand. Collins holds $5 million assets in a drug development company based in Auckland, New Zealand, as well as holdings in biotechnology and electric repair firms in Buffalo.
Collins also holds private mortgages in Florida and New York.
On his 2012 financial disclosure form, Collins listed 16 different companies where he was a director or partner.
The former Erie County executive got his professional start at Westinghouse Electric in 1972 and eventually founded his own business more than a decade later.
— Kevin Bogardus
Frelinghuysen is part of a political dynasty as the sixth member of his family to serve in Congress.
He’s also among the richest members of the House, with a minimum net worth of at least $20.9 million.
{mosads}Frelinghuysen reported owning more than 200 separate assets last year, ranging from stocks to bank accounts to property. His holding include at least $6 million in Proctor & Gamble and at least $1 million in IBM stock. He also has at least $1 million in a daily income fund.
He also owns a rental home in Stockbridge, Mass., and two large patches of land in Massachusetts and New Jersey.
— Alex Resnak
Risch invests heavily in his home state: Most of his wealth comes from three investments in vast tracts of farm and ranch land in Idaho.
{mosads}Risch himself lives on a ranch outside of Boise, Idaho, but he also bought a condo in Washington, D.C., valued between $250,000 and $500,000.
He has at least $560,000 in liabilities, mostly because he has at least $250,000 in home equity loans in 2008 and took out a 30-year mortgage worth a minimum of $250,000 in 2009.
— Megan R. Wilson
Miller, like many members of Congress, is something of a property mogul.
{mosads}His biggest financial asset is a patch of vacant land in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., worth at least $5 million. He also has five acres in Rialto, Calif., that are valued at a minimum of $1 million.
Before coming to Capitol Hill, Miller founded the G. Miller Development Company, which grew from building homes to creating planned communities. The congressman still has a $500,000 investment in the company.
— Meredith Bentsen
The freshman lawmaker makes a point of living off the money he made before his move into public service.
Each year, he donates the pension he receives from his time in the North Carolina state Senate to charity. He plans to do the same with his congressional salary, his office says.
{mosads}Pittenger’s largest asset — totaling at least $25 million — is a company that invests in land in North Carolina and South Carolina. His riches are undercut by more than $8.2 million in liabilities, including at least $7 million on three mortgages.
The congressman’s personal residence has mortgages worth a minimum of $5 million. Pittenger’s other mortgages come from financing for a vacation home and a “vacant house” in his home state.
— Megan R. Wilson
Grayson has bookended his professional life with stints in the legal field, but his fortune comes from an interlude with IDT Corp., a telecommunications company that he founded in the early 1990s.
{mosads}The congressman houses most of his wealth in a wide variety of stocks, including sizable investments in pharmaceuticals, financial management, and gold and minerals. He also claims to hold at least $5 million in “cash + balance.”
Grayson’s considerable net worth is set back by at least $6.1 million in liabilities, including a series of mortgage loans on properties in Florida, Virginia and West Virginia.
— Mike Lillis
Tennessee’s junior senator says he has been working since the age of 13, when he got his first job picking up trash.
{mosads}Now Corker is a multimillionaire, with at least $10 million invested in rental real estate. His wealth plunged by almost $3 million last year, after a UBS Bank account lost just about all of its value.
He also has about $2 million in liabilities from two mortgages that he took out in 1998, a year before he bought “two of the largest and oldest commercial real estate companies in Chattanooga [Tenn.],” his official biography says.
— Megan R. Wilson
The freshman Democrat keeps up the tradition of a Kennedy being among Congress’s wealthiest.
The late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) were once among the richest lawmakers as well.
{mosads}Joseph Kennedy holds dozens of assets in several trusts, which include investments in some of America’s biggest corporations. One trust has $100,000 of assets in General Electric, Google and Merck.
The former Massachusetts assistant district attorney also lists several trust funds, some valued at $500,000 or $1million.
Kennedy has a trio of student loans, all incurred in 2006, totaling at least $80,000.
— Kevin Bogardus
McCaskill’s husband, St. Louis businessman Joseph Shepard, owns hundreds of assets — but only a few with seven-figure values.
{mosads}One of them is a holding in a New Zealand investment fund worth more than $1 million. Another is a $1 million-plus holding in a Georgia-based affordable housing firm.
Shepard also holds at least $500,000 in stock for a big-data software and cloud computing company called Appistry and more than a half-million dollars in Berkshire Hathaway holdings. Other major companies in the couple’s portfolio include Johnson & Johnson, Clorox and United Technologies.
— Megan R. Wilson
Hanna built his fortune with a construction company that bears his name, Hanna Construction.
{mosads}He has a few assets worth at least $1 million in a money market account and holds sizable investments in companies such as PepsiCo, Chevron and Verizon.
The second-term Republican’s campaign owes him at least $250,000 in a loan, which is counted as an asset on his form.
The only thing undercutting his wealth is a minimum of $20,000 he and his wife accrued together last year on revolving charge accounts.
— Megan R. Wilson
Hoeven shot up the ranks of Congress’s richest as his net worth jumped from $8.4 million in 2011 to at least $14.2 million last year.
{mosads}The former North Dakota governor’s large increase in wealth can be partly attributed to a decline in his debt with State Bank & Trust. That liability was previously reported at $5 million, but was listed at just $1 million last year.
Hoeven has holdings in brand-name companies, including $100,000 in Heinz and McDonald’s and $50,000 in Ralph Lauren. The senator has expertise in the financial world, having served as the director of the Bank of North Dakota before he was governor.
— Tianna Mañón
Lowey, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, remained in the money last year.
Her wealth is built on some serious investment and retirement accounts, as well as some property. Several of the New York Democrat’s bigger assets are attributed to her husband, Stephen.
{mosads}Lowey’s spouse has an IRA rollover account worth at least $1 million. He also has a $1 million ownership interest in law firm Lowey Dannenberg Cohen & Hart, where he’s chairman.
The two hold a Washington, D.C., apartment together worth at least $250,000.
Lowey’s worth fell by more than a $1 million from 2011 to last year after some assets declined in value.
Lowey reported no liabilities for 2012.
— Kevin Bogardus
Rigell saw his net worth grow by $1.8 million last year.
One reason Rigell’s wealth rose was his liabilities declined by about half a million dollars. He did not list a line of credit on his 2012 form, unlike the prior year’s report.
{mosads}He also reported an increase in a Wells Fargo bank account, now worth at least $1 million. In 2011, the checking account, formerly under Wachovia Bank, was only worth $100,000.
One of Rigell’s biggest assets is a car dealership valued at $5 million. The congressman also has several properties, including two commercial real estate properties in Virginia Beach worth at least $500,000 each.
— Alex Resnak
Charles Schwab is where the money is for Johnson.
He and his wife, Jane, list having at least $5 million in cash in a holding with the financial services company, his single largest asset. The second largest slice of his portfolio — about $4.3 million — comes from rental real estate that the Johnsons own in Wisconsin.
{mosads}Prior to being elected to the Senate in 2010, Johnson served as the chief executive of PACUR, a polyester and plastics manufacturer. He still claims 5 percent interest in the company, which equates to an asset worth at least $1 million.
His other wealth comes from various investments, including a $500,000 money market fund and another $500,000 in a Goldman Sachs asset.
— Megan R. Wilson
Harkin could be heading to the Bahamas when his time in Congress is through.
{mosads}The veteran senator, who opted not to run for reelection in 2014, jointly owns a vacation home in the Bahamas with his wife, Ruth, worth at least $500,000.
Ruth Harkin has at least $3 million worth of holdings in ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66 and United Technologies Corp.
The Harkins also have joint holdings in big-name companies that include Microsoft and PepsiCo.
— Tianna Mañón
The bulk of Maloney’s fortune can be found in the heart of New York City.
The Democratic congresswoman has a rental property on East 92nd Street worth at least $5 million.
{mosads}Maloney’s net worth rose from $10.1 million in 2011 to $11.2 million, partly because she dropped some debt last year. The congresswoman no longer lists a $250,000 mortgage on an Arlington, Va., condo among her liabilities on her 2012 form.
She reported $2 million in liabilities, including a $500,000 mortgage on the East 92nd Street building and a loan on a property in Washington, D.C.
— Meredith Bentsen
Franks has one of the quirkiest financial assets of anyone in Congress.
The congressman has $100,000 of holdings in patents for the LP 1000 Life Pager, which disguises pepper spray as a pager.
{mosads}His two biggest assets, however, are holdings in Providence Trust and Trinity Petroleum, both valued at $5 million each.
His stock in Liberty Petroleum dropped from $500,000 in 2011 to $50,000 last year. Also, in a change, the lawmaker reported two liabilities — two revolving charge accounts, both valued at $15,000. Franks reported zero debt for 2011.
— Meredith Bentsen
It was a good year for the Wisconsin lawmaker’s prized stamp collection.
The collection increased by $10,000 in value last year to $160,000. The figure is precise because Sensenbrenner, unlike most lawmakers, lists exact figures for his wealth on his financial summary.
{mosads}All of Sensenbrenner’s assets increased over the course of 2012, most notably his stock portfolio. He added a $500,000 investment in pharmaceutical company AbbVie and saw the value of Monsanto Corp. stock increase from $79 per share to almost $106 per share, for at total of nearly $301,300.
The lawmaker also swapped out his 2007 Chevrolet Impala for a slightly more valuable 2009 Ford Taurus. He still has a 1994 Cadillac DeVille and a 1996 Buick Regal.
Sensenbrenner’s wealth was estimated from a financial summary his office provided to The Hill. He plans to file that summary in the Congressional Record once Congress returns after the August recess, in accordance with House procedure.
— Megan R. Wilson
Franchise developer Fleming saw his wealth explode after some of his holdings spiked in value.
{mosads}Two of his assets — JCF Properties and Fleming Franchise Development — both increased to at least $5 million last year, each up from $1 million in 2011. He also holds at least $1 million in a number of Subway restaurants in northern Louisiana.
Also a doctor, the Louisiana Republican has interests in equipment rental, real estate and repair companies.
Fleming includes a number of business loans and mortgages among his liabilities, including a $500,000 mortgage on a second home in Washington.
— Kevin Bogardus
The former Texas Supreme Court justice holds a trio of properties in Austin, Texas, that are worth $250,000 each, along with a $1 million property in Travis County. He also plays in the stock market.
{mosads}Doggett saw his wealth rise by more than $1.5 million after a number of holdings and funds jumped in value. His investment in Whole Foods Market went from $500,000 in 2011 to $1 million last year, and a Vanguard convertible securities fund made the same leap.
The congressman only reported one liability: a letter of credit worth $250,000 on the Travis County property.
— Kevin Bogardus
What many of Schneider’s financial assets lack in value, they more than make up for in volume.
A few of the freshman lawmaker’s investments are valued at a minimum of $250,000, but his family collectively holds hundreds of assets.
{mosads}His wife, Julie, also has thousands of dollars invested in college student housing in Indiana, including property in West Lafayette and South Bend, where Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame are based, respectively.
Schneider only lists one liability, a home equity loan on his Illinois personal residence worth at least $100,000.
— Megan R. Wilson
More than half of Petri’s $9.9 million portfolio is tied up in the drugstore giant Walgreens.
{mosads}In addition to his $5 million holding in the chain store, the veteran lawmaker has $1 million in stock with Berkshire Hathaway and investments in McGraw Hill and Corning Corp.
The Wisconsin Republican also reported a rental property on his 2012 form that is valued at $15,000.
Petri owes at least $100,000 on a mortgage for a property in Washington and has a $1 million liability with Merrill Lynch.
— Tianna Mañón
Campbell made his name selling cars and still has at least $5 million tied up in five California dealerships.
{mosads}He is also a big player in real estate. Campbell owns several properties worth at least $500,000, which include a family farm in Kansas and a gas well worth at least $50,000.
The congressman also jointly holds several IRA assets with his wife, including one that is worth at least $250,000
— Alex Resnak
The Senate minority leader plays it safe with his investments, keeping at least $5 million in a jointly held money market fund.
{mosads}McConnell and his wife, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, also have has several large investments in bank accounts and stocks. They include at least $50,000 in Dole Food Co., held by Chao, as well as $50,000 in a 403(b) plan with the Heritage Foundation attributed to Chao, where she is a distinguished fellow.
McConnell also has $15,000 assets in an IRA, a trust and a checking account.
— Meredith Bentsen
Marchant’s disclosure form towers over all the rest.
{mosads}Like prior years, the Texas Republican’s 2012 wealth report was lengthy — more than 1,900 pages long — complete with bank statements and financial records. The Hill sought to use exact figures from those attachments when possible to arrive at a more precise net worth for Marchant.
The congressman’s worth dropped by more than a million from 2011 due, in part, to him describing in more detail his liabilities last year, including $2.8 million in mortgages.
Marchant has serious holdings in investments and IRAs with his wife, Donna. He also has real estate assets, including at least $500,000 in 58 acres in Fort Worth as well as at least $1 million in a partnership that consists of 3,500 acres, equipment and cattle.
— Kevin Bogardus
Daines made his business record central to his 2012 campaign, and he has the balance sheet to back it up.
{mosads}The Montana Republican and his wife, Cindy, have a joint holding worth at least $5 million. They also hold two $1 million real estate assets in Bozeman and Belgrade, Mont.
The freshman lawmaker, who is seriously considering a Senate run in 2014, also has an IRA worth more than $855,000, according to an attachment Daines included with his 2012 financial disclosure form.
Daines listed a jointly held mortgage valued at $500,000 as his lone liability.
— Kevin Bogardus
The good doctor kept his place among Congress’s wealthiest, with sizable investments in real estate and millions of dollars in securities and stocks.
{mosads}The Georgia Republican holds a vacant lot in St. Simons, Ga., worth at least $1 million. In addition, Price has a rental condo in Washington, D.C., valued at $250,000.
Price also has two Wells Fargo accounts worth more than $1 million together.
Price included detailed bank statements with his 2012 financial report, and The Hill sought to use those statements’ exact figures when possible to estimate the lawmaker’s wealth.
— Kevin Bogardus
Real estate places Cooper among Capitol Hill’s richest members.
{mosads}His interest in Cooper Brothers Land Co., which has farmland and property lots in Kentucky and Tennessee, shot up to roughly $5.7 million in 2012. That’s big jump from its worth in 2011 of at least $1 million.
Cooper also has vacant land in Nashville, Tenn., valued at $500,000, as well as property in Gulfport, Miss., worth $100,000.
Cooper lists one liability on his 2012 form: a $250,000 mortgage on a personal residence.
— Kevin Bogardus
Warehouses helped propel Hagan back onto The Hill’s 50 Wealthiest list this year.
{mosads}The senator included one commercial warehouse worth at least $5 million in Lakeland, Fla., on her 2012 report. Several other warehouses in the same city, one held by her husband, are valued at $1 million each.
Hagan’s father, Joe Ruthven, is a prime political player and a former Lakeland mayor.
Hagan reported roughly $7 million in liabilities last year, including several mortgages on land and buildings.
— Kevin Bogardus
Upton’s biggest claim to fame might be his model niece, Kate Upton, but the powerful House chairman is also an heir to the Whirlpool fortune.
{mosads}The congressman is the grandson of one of the founders Whirlpool and holds at least $1 million worth of stock in the company with his wife, Amey. But the majority of Upton’s fortune is in family trusts worth at least $5 million that are not directly under his control.
Upton’s spouse also holds assets in several other large companies, such as AT&T; Exxon Mobil; General Electric and Pfizer. The couple holds together at least $250,000 in Pepsi.
Upton has two liabilities, including a home mortgage worth at least $250,000 and a home line of equity valued at a minimum of $15,000.
— Megan R. Wilson
Pearce’s investments in heavy machinery paid off handsomely in 2012
{mosads}The congressman saw his wealth climb as he reported that his investment in LFT, an equipment and property rental company in Hobbs, N.M., increased from $500,000 in 2011 to $1 million in 2012.
He also holds at least $5 million worth of stock in Trinity Industries, another equipment rental company headquartered in Hobbs.
Pearce has some so-called “investment land” in New Mexico, worth at least $100,000, according to his 2012 report. Vehicles worth at least $15,000 are attributed to his spouse.
— Tianna Mañón
Farenthold founded a computer consulting company before coming to Congress, but also was a radio commentator and practiced law.
The Texas lawmaker’s wealth, however, is stored in a number of family trusts, including one valued at least $5 million. Farenthold also has some small interests — some worth at least $1,000 each — in a number of mineral and oil companies. He holds a $100,000 stake in farmland in Nueces County, Texas.
Farenthold reported only one liability for 2012 — a demand note worth at least $50,000.
— Kevin Bogardus
The 2012 vice presidential contender holds his own in the “millionaires club” of the Senate.
{mosads}Portman’s $7.3 million portfolio is buttressed by holdings in commercial rental property and land in Ohio and Kentucky that’s worth at least $1 million.
Previously, the senator worked at Portman Equipment Company, a business started by his father. Before entering politics, Portman started his own private law practice and represented the company.
Portman’s net worth increased about $600,000 last year, in part due to a decline in his liabilities. Portman had $750,000 in liabilities in 2011, but only $350,000 worth in 2012.
— Meredith Bentsen
Ex-oil and gasman Flores can thank shrewd investments for his wealth.
{mosads}The Texas Republican has a Fidelity joint account with his spouse Gina worth roughly $4.7 million, as well as a Fidelity IRA valued more than $2.2 million. Further, Flores and his wife have an aircraft hanger at Coulter Airport in Bryan, Texas, worth at least $100,000.
The congressman made his name in the energy businessand was president and CEO of Phoenix Exploration Company, an oil and gas company, before coming to Capitol Hill.
Flores recorded about $1.5 million in liabilities for 2012, including a $500,000 mortgage on a second residence.
— Kevin Bogardus
Science has been a moneymaker for Foster.
{mosads}The Illinois Democrat’s biggest asset is a promissory note, worth at least $5 million, from the sale of his interest in Electronic Theatre Controls Inc. With his brother, Foster founded the company, which makes theater lighting, when he was 19 years old.
Elected again in November to Congress after losing his 2010 reelection bid, Foster lists several savings and retirement plans among his assets, including an IRA valued at least $50,000.
Foster was a physicist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and has been a big advocate for science on Capitol Hill.
— Kevin Bogardus
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