The wealthiest member of Congress is a self-made man who is worth a reported $355 million.
After making a fortune from developing the Viper car security system, U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has taken over the top spot in 2012 disclosure filings, according to new analysis by The Hill.
Dropping to the No.2 spot is last year’s wealthiest congressman, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, with a net worth of at least $101 million.
A Democrat, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, co-founder of the company that became Nextel, came in third with $88.5 million.
The Republican Party is up on the leaderboard for the third year in a row, with 29 of the 50 lawmakers making The Hill’s list, but seven of the top 10 are Democrats.
While several of what it called “high-profile lawmakers” are among the wealthiest on the list, The Hill noted those being mentioned for potential presidential runs in 2016 live by relatively modest means:
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.
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.
Three wealthy notables missing this year: Former U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who left Congress to serve as secretary of state; retired U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks; and the late U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., the first full-time salesman for payroll company Automatic Data Processing who died earlier this year.
Watch a short CBS report here.
Read The Hill’s entire report here.
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